Field hockey upsets Fitchburg in stunning win

By Taylor Kimmell

Asst. Sports Editor

The Framingham State Rams upset MASCAC expectations by defeating the Fitchburg State Falcons 2-1 in overtime Nov. 4.

The Rams wrapped up their regular season with an overall record of 4-14 and a conference record of 3-9, sending them into the playoffs seeded sixth of seven teams. The Falcons were ranked third in the tournament.

Sophomore Finley Hogan started the game, sending the ball toward Fitchburg’s side of the field with a strong lift.

Causing a foot penalty within the Falcons’ 25-yard line, Hogan earned Framingham a corner. From the end line, sophomore Allison Wurms passed the ball to Hogan at the top of the circle, who sent a hard drive directly into the back of the net and scored the first goal of the match just 44 seconds in.

For the next 5 minutes, no attempts were made on either net.

The Rams and the Falcons traded fouls, keeping the ball mostly around neutral territory on the field.

Senior Natalia Roehr attempted to bring the ball down the field, but Fitchburg’s defenders put up a strong fight to bring the game back to the 50-yard line.

Fitchburg sent a hard drive toward the Rams’ side of the field, but defensive maneuvers by juniors Allison Harmuth and Marina Cadena prevented a shot and returned the ball to neutral territory.

At 6:09, Fitchburg sent a shot toward Framingham’s net, but it went wide.

Within the following minute, Fitchburg sent in two more shots, both of which were defended by Captain and goaltender Kaitlyn Tello, a junior.

Framingham regained control shortly after, with sophomore Reese Neale attempting a shot on goal that was deflected by Fitchburg goaltender Bella Corcoran.

The following offensive push by the Rams resulted in a green card against a Fitchburg player for shoving, allowing Framingham to play out a corner with the Falcons down a player.

During the corner, Cadena sent a shot toward the goal, but was prevented from scoring by Corcoran.

Both teams had offensive drives in the following few minutes, but neither could breach the other’s 25-yard line.

A corner allowed the Falcons to take another shot, but Tello stood tall in the net and prevented the goal.

The Rams stole back possession, earning a corner that allowed Roehr to take another shot, but it was blocked by Corcoran.

A minute later, freshman Chloe Moynihan was tripped by a Fitchburg defender, earning the Rams another corner. This allowed shots from Wurms and Moynihan, but neither could find the back of the net.

The second quarter began with the score still 1-0 in favor of Framingham. Playing at a deficit, the Falcons were determined to score. 

A shot by Fitchburg, a minute and a half in, went wide of the net, but their shot two minutes later found success, tying the game.

For the remainder of the quarter, Framingham could not force an offensive drive.

A minute following Fitchburg’s goal, they sent three shots to Framingham’s net. Tello remained vigilant, blocking the first shot with her foot and diving to save the next two.

Fifteen seconds later, Fitchburg earned a corner. The defensive team of Cadena, Harmuth, Hogan, and sophomore Mikayla Malmquist cleared the ball and refused to let a ball get close to the net.

Another five minutes passed before Fitchburg could attempt to score. The team sent in two shots, with Tello saving one and the other sailing wide of the net.

Several more uneventful minutes passed, and with just a minute and change left before the half, Fitchburg shot twice more. Again, Tello saved the first, and the second went wide.

By halftime, the Falcons had already outshot the Rams 12-6, showing Tello’s strength in goal.

Tello said, “I think everyone gets really excited whenever we do things defensively, as everyone has been in the defensive circle at least once, no matter what their position is. 

“I think knowing that we all work together so well to make it happen always makes everyone more excited,” she added.

Fitchburg came out strong at the top of the third quarter. 

Less than 2 minutes in, they earned a corner. Once again, the Falcons’ offense tested Tello, and once again, she passed, saving two shots.

The Falcons kept the pressure on Framingham’s goal with another shot during a corner just 40 seconds later.

Framingham’s defense prevented Fitchburg from shooting until 2 minutes later, with a shot sent wide of the net.

Harmuth sent a hard drive down the field to try to regain offensive control for Framingham. Moynihan sprinted toward the ball in an attempt to keep it within bounds, but even her diving play could not save the ball from rolling over the end line.

Fitchburg quickly capitalized on their possession, earning a corner and shooting once again, with Cadena saving the ball with her stick.

After preventing the shot, the ball hit Cadena’s foot, earning the Falcons a corner during which they were able to take another shot, again turned away by Tello.

Several minutes passed before Fitchburg made another goal attempt that went wide with less than a minute before the end of the quarter.

The first 5 minutes of the final quarter were uneventful, with neither team making it within shooting distance of the goal.

Roehr was the first to break through, sending a shot toward the goal that was blocked by Corcoran.

Great defensive plays from both teams prevented all but one more shot during the entirety of the last quarter. The shot by Fitchburg sailed far wide of the net.

With no goals during the fourth, the game was sent into thrilling overtime play.

Both teams stayed quick on their feet as the overtime period began. Fitchburg made a determined drive toward Framingham’s side of the field, but a strong play from senior Reese Perry rocketed the ball toward midfield, allowing Malmquist to take it down the field for a shot.

A minute later, Tello saved a shot by the Falcons, sliding on her knees to divert the ball.

Three minutes later, Fitchburg sent in two more shots, both saved by Tello.

Seconds later, the Falcons earned a penalty corner, yielding four shots of which Tello prevented three. The fourth flew out of bounds, earning Framingham possession.

Harmuth and Perry worked the ball up the field. Gaining possession, Hogan earned the team a corner.

Malmquist passed Hogan the ball from the end line. Despite heavy pressure from Fitchburg’s defenders, Hogan found an opening, using her momentum to reverse her stick and flick the ball past Corcoran, advancing the Rams to the MASCAC Semifinals.

The moment her shot hit the back of the net, Hogan was surrounded by her teammates in a jubilant celebration of her goal and their underdog victory.

Hogan said when she shot the final ball toward the goal, she “thought there was no way that it was going in. I basically just sat there in shock until everyone around me screamed. Then I was just overwhelmed with emotion.”

Framingham came into this match ranked three places lower than Fitchburg in the MASCAC standings. 

Hogan said the Rams just wanted it more, adding that scoring less than a minute in also helped set the tone of what turned out to be an incredible game.

In addition to Hogan’s and other offensive plays, the Rams’ strong defense made vital contributions to the win.

Over the course of the game, the Falcons attempted fifteen shots on goal. Of these fifteen shots, Tello saved thirteen, Cadena saved one, and only one was allowed in.

Tello saved four shots during the overtime period. She said during high-pressure situations, she tries not to “focus on the fact that it is overtime or a tie game. I just focus on hyping everyone else up and communicating to distract from the fact. 

“I honestly love being so close in these types of competitions. It keeps everyone excited, and it is extremely fun to pull off a win in the way we did,” she added.

Tello said the team’s biggest strength has been “playing together and for each other. … This was a heavy mental game for us, and everyone worked hard for the entire time. We never let [Fitchburg] get to us and really just played our game, which is what resulted in us winning.”

“I think knowing how far we have come since the beginning and the amount of fixes that we have made, and being able to be seen on the field, really motivates everyone to keep wanting to get better,” she added.

Hogan said, “I think our commitment and communication have improved tremendously. We all have each other's backs and all put everything we can onto the field so that we can reach the goal of winning together as a team.”

The Rams travelled to Westfield State Nov. 6 to take on the top-seeded Owls in the MASCAC Semifinal match.

Despite putting up a hard fight, FSU fell short with a score of 2-0, ending their 2025 season.