Fitchburg State Shoots Past Mount Ida, 6-0

Richard collects second hat trick of the season for Falcons in non-conference victory

FITCHUBRG, Mass. –  Fitchburg State freshman forward Molly Richard notched her second hat trick on the season as the Falcons defeated Mount Ida College, 6-0 in non-conference field hockey action this evening at Elliot Field.

In the opening half, Fitchburg State took the lead just 1:52 into the frame as Richard blasted a shot inside the far post for her team-leading sixth score on the season for the 1-0 advantage.

The Falcons doubled their margin (2-0) in the sixth minute of action when senior forward Julia
Gimenez redirected a shot by sophomore Casey Noonan into the left side of the cage for her fifth goal of the season.

The hosts upped its lead at the 17:25 mark as Richard collected a loose ball at midfield, streaked down the far sideline and converted the breakaway attempt, depositing the ball into the upper left corner for the 3-0 advantage going into intermission.

Following the break, the Green and Gold added to its lead in the 46th minute of action when Richard found the back of the cage to complete the hat trick to make the score 4-0. Before the Falcons capped the scoring at the 59:45 mark when freshman Alanah Pacheco connected on her first collegiate goal, resulting in the 6-0 final.

Throughout the contest, Fitchburg State controlled the offensive play, outshooting Mount Ida by a 25-1 margin, while limiting the Mustangs to just one penalty corner. In the cage, sophomore Jordyn Conway made one second half save for the Falcons in 35 minutes of play, while counterpart Emily McConnell stopped 12 shots for Mount Ida in the complete game effort.

Fitchburg State (6-7, 1-5 LEC) returns to action on Saturday as it hosts the Lancers of Worcester State University for a contest starting at 10 a.m. Mount Ida (4-9, 1-3 GNAC) will visit Johnson & Wales on Saturday at 11 a.m.