Field hockey stuns Salem in shutout win
By Izabela Gage
Staff Writer
The Framingham State Rams dominated the Vikings in a 6-0 conference shutout win Sep. 22. This win brings their conference record to 1-1 and their overall record to 3-4. After the first shot of the game by Salem went wide less than 2 minutes in, Framingham immediately put pressure on the Vikings’ defense. Freshman Sydney Walters and sophomore Chloe Moynihan tested Salem’s goaltender, Izzy Mosley, within the first 3 minutes, followed by a penalty corner. The Rams continued to generate chances with three back-to-back shots on goal, but Mosley kept Framingham off the scoreboard. A minute and a half later, the Vikings tried to find the back of the net, but junior Amanda Stackpole made a defensive save to keep the game scoreless. Framingham continued to control the offensive end as Captain Ashley Malmquist, a senior, and Captain Finley Hogan, a junior, took shots on the goal. Walters had a shot stopped by the Vikings’ defense before Framingham earned another penalty corner. Walters didn’t let up and took another shot, but Mosley kept the Rams from converting. The Rams carried the same pressure into the second period, as Moynihan made an attempt before another penalty corner was earned. Framingham dominated the offense, with Ashley Malmquist’s next shot being stopped and Hogan sending an attempt wide. The Rams’ persistence finally paid off. After Walters took another shot on net, Hogan broke through to give Framingham a 1-0 lead. Hogan continued to try to find the back of the net as the period progressed before the Rams received another penalty corner. Junior Hannah Poklemba, Captain Marina Cadena, a senior, and Hogan each followed with opportunities, but were unsuccessful. The Rams wasted little time extending their advantage in the third period. Moynihan opened the period with back-to-back chances before Hogan struck again at 31:59, pushing their lead to 2-0. Framingham piled on the pressure with four shots on goal. They earned two more penalty corners in the stretch, keeping Salem pinned defensively. At 40:14, Hogan scored her third goal of the game, assisted by Mikayla Malmquist, giving Framingham a 3-0 advantage. Sophomore goaltender Aubrey Jenkins saved Salem’s next shot, and the Rams carried their lead into the final period. The Vikings attempted to put a point on the board, but Jenkins saved one scoring chance, while Stackpole made another defensive save. Walters then scored with 12 minutes remaining to bring the score to 4-0. The Rams added another goal at 51:26 when Poklemba finished off a pass from Walters, extending the lead to 5-0. Framingham stayed aggressive in the final minutes. After Moynihan sent a shot wide, Hogan found the net once again, tallying her fourth goal of the game and giving the Rams a 6-point lead. Salem tried to break through, but the shot was saved by Jenkins. Moynihan recorded Framingham’s last shot at 59:58, but Mosley made the save. The Rams finished with a 6-0 victory, with Hogan’s career-high four-goal performance providing the offensive spark as Framingham maintained pressure throughout all four periods. Hogan said, “It feels really good to see the results of what we’ve been working on as a team this year. Even with the unassisted goals, it was still such a team effort to get it up the field. “Throughout the game, I tried to stay focused on not letting up, especially with shooting, because their goalie, Izzy Mosley, is really good,” she added. This win was Walters’ third multi-point game as a rookie. She said she focuses on “trying to be in the right positions to help my team in the best way I can so we can win.” She added she looks to “set my teammates up for assists, because a great assist is the same feeling of scoring a goal.” This season, the field hockey team had Mary Nee start as head coach after four years working at Regis College. Hogan said, “Another key aspect helping us make a push this season is our new head coach, Mary Nee. She’s been really great at helping us improve on a ton of different skills and just field hockey as a whole.” Walters said Nee is motivating them to be the best they can be. Most recently, the Rams fell to the Plymouth State Panthers 5-1 in a non-conference match Sept. 24. The Rams host the Worcester State Lancers for a conference matchup Sept. 26. Hogan said she hopes the momentum “will be really positive going through the rest of the season.”
