By Jim Fenton
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University field hockey celebrated Senior Night by recording a dramatic win with a late goal.
Freshman Ellie Moberg (North Reading, Mass.) scored with less than four minutes remaining to allow the Bears to edge Framingham State University, 3-2, at Mazzaferro Field Tuesday night.
Sophomore Samantha Souza (Dartmouth, Mass.) added to her Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference-leading goal total and junior Abbie Zuber (Westport, Mass.) recorded two more assists.
The victory secures the No. 2 seed in next week's conference tournament for BSU. The Bears (14-4, 9-2 MASCAC) and top-seeded Westfield State both have byes and will open in the semifinal round on Nov. 13 against opponents to be determined on Nov. 11.
BSU finishes the regular-season home schedule with a 7-2 record, the best home mark since posting that same record 10 years ago.
Framingham State (3-14, 2-9 MASCAC) was swept in the season series by BSU, which is 35-16 all-time against the Rams since 1983.
The winning goal came at 56:04 after the Rams had tied the game less than six minutes earlier.
Zuber stickhandled into the circle following a restart. Her shot popped up into the air and was redirected into the back of the net by Moberg.
The Bears had a 1-0 lead after the first quarter on a goal by junior Madison Ellis (Attleboro, Mass.) with 6:32 remaining in the period.
The score came off a penalty corner as Ellis blasted a shot from the top of the circle. Framingham State junior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Tello (Nashua, N.H.) got a piece of the ball, but it went into the right side of the net.
The Rams tied it at 1-1 by halftime as Natalia Roehr scored at with just 2:50 showing on the clock.
The goal also came off a penalty corner with sophomore Allison Wurms (Shelton, Conn.) sending a cross in front of the net.
Senior Natalia Roehr (Acton, Mass.) took a shot shot that was stopped by senior goalkeeper Brianna Gagnon (Tewksbury, Mass.), but Roehr slipped the rebound into the back of the cage for her fifth goal.
BSU went up, 2-1, 5:38 into the third period with the lone goal of the session.
A cross by Zuber to the front of the net was one-timed inside the right post by Souza.
That gives Souza 31 goals of the season, one shy of the school record set in 2012 by Shelby Farland. Souza also has 43 career goals in less than two seasons, placing her fifth on the all-time BSU list.
Souza has 69 points on the season, the record being 77 by Farland in '12. Souza also has 95 career points and is on the verge of becoming just the fifth BSU player to reach 100 points.
Framingham State tied it at 2-2 with 11:36 remaining as freshman Chloe Moynihan (Holyoke, Mass.) scored from sophomore Mikayla Malmquist (Medfield, Mass.).
The Rams scored in transition as a cross at the goal line by Malmquist eluded the BSU defense and went to the far post where Moyniham scored her seventh goal.
The two assists by Zuber give her 24 in her career, one shy of the school record held by Farland (2009-12) and Bethany Bush (2007-10).
Zuber tied a career-best with 11 assists this season, four shy of the BSU record set in 1998 by Ann Silvia.
Gagnon made seven saves to pick up her 14th win of the season for the Bears while Tello had 11 stops for Framingham State.
Moberg and Souza had five shots on goal each for BSU, which had 14 in the game.
Prior to the start of the game, the Bears honored Gagnon and fellow seniors Catherine Daoulas (Marshfield, Mass.), Raegen Perry (Nantucket, Mass.), Irianny Solorin (Methuen, Mass.) and Emelia Westwater (Attleboro, Mass.).
The Bears conclude the regular season with two road games. They will be at Wheaton College on Thursday at 7 p.m. and finish the MASCAC schedule Saturday at 5 p.m. against Worcester State.
Framingham State plays at Anna Maria on Saturday at noon.
