Women’s soccer surpasses Salem in quarterfinals
- Taylor Kimmell
- 9 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Taylor Kimmell
Asst. Sports Editor
The Framingham State Rams defeated the Salem State Vikings 1-1, earning points during penalty kicks, in the MASCAC quarterfinal match Nov. 5.
The Rams ended their regular season with an overall record of 6-5-8 and a conference record of 3-3-2. They entered their first playoff match seeded fifth out of nine teams. Salem was seeded fourth.
Salem started the game with effective strides on offense, sending a shot toward FSU’s goal. The shot was saved by sophomore goalkeeper Savannah Goba.
Salem's second shot came 5 minutes later, this one finding a gap in Framingham’s defense and sailing into the back of the net.
Salem followed with two more shots - one at 14:11 and one at 14:32 - both saved by Goba.
Five minutes passed before Framingham regained possession. After a series of methodical passes, junior Melissa Romeiro was able to send in a shot, but the ball was saved by the Vikings’ goalkeeper Ava Guyer.
Freshman Sophia Thimm attempted a shot 7 minutes later that went wide. This was shortly followed by another shot from junior Ana Serrano, which was saved by Guyer.
Framingham retained possession for the remainder of the half, and Thimm, Captain Abigail Pratt, a sophomore, and freshmen Leiyani Buckner and Abigale King each made attempts on goal.
Just 58 seconds into the second half, Serrano took two more shots on goal - one flying over the crossbar and the other blocked by a defender.
Sophomore Beyonce Gray attempted the next shot for the Rams, but her shot was saved by Guyer.
Salem stole possession and attempted three shots on FSU’s net, all of which were saved by freshman goalkeeper Amelia Finley, who subbed in for Goba.
The teams swapped offensive drives four more times, with four shots from Salem and two from Framingham.
On the Rams’ following offensive push, Thimm once again lined up a shot, this time directing the ball past Guyer to tie the match 1-1.
Salem had the next shot on goal, sending it wide of the net.
When Framingham regained possession 2 minutes later, Buckner was blocked on her attempt to score.
Salem pressured FSU’s net once again, with four shots over the next 5 minutes. Finley stopped all of them.
Gray made one more goal attempt for Framingham before time ran out, but her shot was blocked by Guyer.
Coming into overtime, both teams stayed evenly paced.
Thimm had the first shot of the period, but Guyer saved it.
Five minutes later, Salem attempted a shot, but the ball was saved by Finley.
During the second overtime, both teams struggled to gain an advantage on the offensive end.
Buckner attempted to score a minute and a half in, but she was unsuccessful.
Six minutes passed before Serrano came in to attempt another shot, but it was blocked by Guyer.
As the second overtime period came to a scoreless close, the game came down to penalty kicks.
Both teams’ first shots were successful, with Captain Cathryn Cooney, a senior, scoring for Framingham.
Finley blocked Salem’s next three shots while Buckner attempted another for FSU.
Salem scored on their final shot, tying the score 3-3.
Freshman Lily Gouveia stepped to the line for Framingham’s final shot, and with a swift kick, she sank the ball into the back of the net, winning the match and sending the Rams to the semifinals.
Finley said, “We knew that this game was make or break, so if we didn’t want our season to end, then we would have to win. I think everyone really understood that message last night and played to their full potential.”
Finley had a perfect game in net, letting none of the Vikings' shots in.
Finley said she found success in the net during this match by reminding herself “that I have been in these types of situations before and came out on top. It always helps me when my teammates have confidence in me and hype me up.”
The Rams will face off against the Worcester State Lancers in the MASCAC Semifinals Nov. 7.
Finley said she hopes the team will use the energy from this win in their match against the Lancers. She said, “Everyone is really excited for this rematch because it was such a great game the first time we played them. We’re practicing hard and going over film to get ready for tomorrow.”
