Women's Soccer Edged by Westfield State in a Shootout

WESTFIELD, Mass. -- The Westfield State University women's soccer team advanced to the MASCAC Tournament championship game as the second-seeded Owls edged #3 Bridgewater State University in a shootout on Friday afternoon.

The game was scoreless through regulation and two overtime periods before the Owls won the shootout by a margin of 4-3. Although Westfield won the shootout, the final score of the game is still recorded as a 0-0 tie.

Taylor Grijalva's shootout goal on the Owls' fifth and final attempt provided the difference. Grijalva fired to the right side of the net to beat Bridgewater goalkeeper Lauren DeSousa for the winner.

After a scoreless first half, Westfield generated the better of the pressure in the second half. The Owls earned a direct kick with 40 seconds left in regulation that Kenzie Saltmarsh served to Nicole Gay, but Gay's header went just wide.

Bridgewater's best scoring opportunity of the match came in the 84th minute as Westfield's Ashley Bovat tried to slip a pass through the midfield that inadvertently deflected off the referee to the Bears' Ashley Aldred.  Aldred played the ball through to Courtney Pepin who drilled a shot from 15 yards out on the right side that Westfield keeper Natalia Falcone deflected just over the crossbar.

The Owls earned a strong scoring chance in the closing minutes of the first half of overtime as Bovat's clean header from the top of the six-yard box sailed just over the crossbar.

Bovat had another strong try in the second half of OT, sliding in with a shot at the left post at point blank range that DeSousa came up big with a save to keep the score even at 0-0 and ultimately send the game to PKs.

Falcone, who entered the game at halftime, came up huge in the shootout, stopping one Bridgewater shot, then stepping up as a shooter herself on the fourth shot and scoring.

Caitlin MacGregor, Kate Matroni, Falcone and Grijalva converted in the PK's. Bovat was stopped by DeSousa on the Owls' third try.

For Bridgewater, Brooke Pacheco scored on the first PK, and Carolyn Sessler on the second, but Olivia Planty's shot was stopped by Falcone, and then Drew Guay's attempt ricocheted high off the crossbar, before Alyson Pontes converted the fifth shot to set up Grijalva's dramatics.

Westfield (9-6-3) will advance to Sunday's championship match to be played at a time and site that will be determined later Friday evening. Bridgewater wraps up the season with an overall record of 10-7-2.

Shots on goal for the match finished even at five per team. Westfield generated six corners to Bridgewater's one.

Falcone finished with four saves for Westfield, while DeSousa stopped all five shots she faced to notch her seventh shutout of the season. It marks the most shutouts by a BSU keeper since Emily Schlosser also recorded seven in 2004.