Women’s soccer beats Salem with last-minute goal

By Taylor Kimmell

Sports Editor

The Framingham State University Rams earned their third conference win of the season with an on-the-road victory against the Salem State University Vikings Sept. 26.

This 1-0 shutout improves FSU’s conference and overall records to 3-0-1 and 5-2-1, respectively.

The Rams played a heavily offensive game, keeping the ball on Salem’s side of the field early on, and sending in a shot just over five minutes in. The attempt by sophomore Sophia Thimm was saved by Salem goalkeeper Lauren Wilson.

Another FSU shot followed only three minutes later, when senior Ana Serrano made an attempt on goal that sailed over the crossbar.

Salem’s first offensive move came 11 minutes in, with a corner kick they were unable to convert.

Salem’s offense struggled to bring the ball close enough to Framingham’s side to take any shots, but the Rams maintained a steady drive, with a shot on goal by freshman Eliza Contreras diverted by Wilson.

Twenty-five minutes into the first half, Captain Isabella Fischer, a junior, tallied FSU’s fourth shot, sending the ball just wide of the post.

Serrano’s shot at 28:23 was saved by Wilson, as were Fischer’s shot at 31:18, Contrera’s at 33:01, and freshman Rachel Yorston’s at 34:24.

Despite the persistent pressure from the Rams, Wilson remained diligent in SSU’s net, blocking two more shots, one from Yorsten and one from junior Beyonce Gray, before the end of the first half.

Salem’s first drive of the match came 15 minutes into the second half, with a hard shot on net saved by the Rams’ sophomore goalkeeper, Amelia Finley.

The Rams and the Vikings traded fouls for the next 22 minutes, neither team proving capable of penetrating the other’s defense, until Serrano broke through for a shot that sailed wide.

In the 83rd minute, a Framingham foul occurred and Salem earned a corner kick. Within the same minute, Salem’s offense managed to fire off a shot, but it was fended off by the Rams’ defense.

With less than five minutes of the match remaining, the Vikings sent in their third shot of the match, but Finley was there to make the save.

Framingham went back on the offensive, and, with only 20 seconds on the clock, Serrano made a pass to Yorsten, who buried the game-winning goal in the back of the net, scoring for the first time in her FSU career.

With no time left to make a move, the Vikings surrendered in a shutout loss.

Yorsten said scoring her first goal was “amazing, especially being a freshman and scoring in the 90th minute to win the game. I was so excited, and seeing how excited my teammates and coaches were was such a great feeling. It is a moment I’ll definitely remember.”

Fischer said FSU was able to secure the victory because “we stayed composed on the ball and communicated throughout the whole game. The other team did have opportunities up top, but our strong defensive line did a great job at helping us regain possession and work up through the midfield and through the strikers.”

Finley said the weather conditions interfered with certain aspects of play, noting in the second half, “We were playing against the wind, which meant playing long balls was not an option. Eventually, we realized we needed to find feet and make the simple passes.”

Yorsten said, “Salem made it difficult for us to score, but our passing really helped us create opportunities. Even with the wind and rain, we did a great job connecting passes. We kept pushing until the end, and I was lucky enough to score in the 90th minute to get the win.”

On Sept. 29, Finley and Yorsten were named MASCAC’s Defensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the week, respectively.

Finley said receiving recognition from the conference is always great.

Yorsten said she was surprised when she found out, and that Captain Abigail Pratt had been the one to tell her, after having kept it a secret. 

Yoursten said she had been sitting next to Pratt while she was making the post. “She was keeping it a secret, so I had no idea. When I found out it was me, I was honestly shocked and so excited. It meant a lot to me, especially because my family and team were so supportive and excited for me too.”

Fischer said this win, as well as the Rams’ strong performance early on in conference play “sets an amazing tone moving forward. It not only gives us confidence, but it shows that all of our hard work has been paying off. We want to build off of this and continue to keep improving as the season goes along.”

The Rams added seven new freshmen to the roster this year, which Fischer said has only added to the team’s success. “Every single freshman has brought their own strengths. … As returning players our main goal is to make the incoming freshman feel as welcomed and included as possible.” 

Gray said the integration of freshmen on the team has been great. “We’ve always been about not just being a team, but a family. We’re all super close and try to be open especially when the freshmen come. 

“It’s definitely a hard switch from high school to college, so we always try to help make the transition as easy as possible. The freshmen this year have truly helped us improve and have contributed a lot to our success so far,” she added.

Fischer said the Rams pride themselves on the closeness of the players. “We have so much trust in each other and all want to put in work for not only ourselves but the person next to us as well.”

Gray said the team’s greatest strength comes from “playing for each other. If you look at our warmups on the bottom of every shirt it says ‘Framily’. We take pride in how close we all are. We all love the game and each other. We have a great bond and I think that’s really motivating us to play well and work hard for one another.” 

Yorsten said she has enjoyed her time with the Rams so far. “I honestly didn’t think I was going to go to college, so having a group of girls who are so welcoming has made a huge difference. Between team bonding, team breakfasts, and getting to know my coaches, I've really enjoyed being part of the team and getting to play soccer.”

Gray said, “It’s only been our third year with [Coach La Francesca] and I truly believe as we continue to grow as a team we’ll only get better and better. You can already see a major change, especially with the games we have played. Our goal is to always leave Framingham better than we found it, and we continue to do that.”

The Rams host the University of Maine at Fort Kent for a nonconference matchup Oct. 3.

Yorsten said, “It’s really exciting to be part of a team that’s off to such a strong start. It’s given me a lot of confidence, and I think we’re all motivated to keep working hard and see how far we can go this season to hopefully win MASCAC.”