FIELDS’ 2OT GOAL YEILDED LASELL’S VICTORY

Newton, Mass.- In an unbelievable finish, Kaitlyn Fields (Stoneham, MA) drilled a 35 yard shot and scored to give Lasell College a 3-2, double overtime win over Johnson & Wales University.  Fields' sudden death goal was scored with just 28 seconds left to play.

The Lasers struck first in this tight matchup with the Wildcats.  Lasell's Jordynn Frollo (Uxbridge, MA) dribbled the ball down field to the corner then crossed it perfectly to Liz McGeoy (Doylestown, PA) who headed it past the Wildcat keeper Kory Blythe (Fall River, MA) just under three minutes into the game. 

The Wildcats answered back with their own goal, at 17:57, when the Wildcat's leading scorer Samantha Reynolds (Plymouth, MA) sent the ball across field and found Amanda Aguiar (Fall River, MA) in position to head the ball into the Lasers net. 

The teams remained in a close fight to acquire the lead, with Johnson & Wales taking 13 first half shots, and Lasell producing just one less.  With just over eight minutes left in the half, Frollo crossed a pass to Alexi Giatrelis (Mashpee, MA) in front of the Wildcats goal.  Giatrelis took a shot which was blocked by Blythe, but Giatrelis recovered control of the deflected shot and sent a pass to McGeoy, who scored her second goal of the day on an open net. 

Lasell enjoyed the 2-1 lead for the following forty-five minutes, but the Wildcats continued their pursuit.  Reynolds came up with two breakaways late in the half, but was stifled first by Lasell's goalkeeper Elizabeth Stickley (Mashpee, MA) who challenged Reynolds with a diving save out of goal, and then by Olivia Tsakiris (Grosvenordale, CT) whom blocked a hard kicked shot with just 16 minutes left to play. 

It was Reynolds who scored the final Wildcat goal in the 8th minute when she found a deflection in a scramble of players in front of Lasell's net and streaked the ball to tie the game, at 2-2, for the remainder of regulation. 

The first overtime came and went with each team taking 2 shots but neither team connecting.  In the second overtime, the Lasers dominated, taking 5 shots, while the Wildcats only opportunity to score was prevented prior to a shot even being taken when Lasers defender Molly Clarke (Kinsington, CT) dropped in on a breakaway by Aguiar and reclaimed possession for Lasell.

With less than a minute to play, it looked like the game may end in a lock, but the Lasers took one more chance to score with Tsakiris obtaining control of the ball and feeding Fields who fired in the long shot.  Fields' goal was scored with 28 seconds left on the clock, and secured the Lasers sixth place finish in the GNAC. 

The GNAC tournament starts this upcoming Sunday, November 2nd, with sixth seeded Lasell taking on third seed Emmanuel College in the quarter final round.  The game will begin at 1:00 p.m. at Emmanuel's home field.