Vizakis Leads Field Hockey to 2-0 Little East Win at Framingham

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – Junior forward Carissa Vizakis (Bellingham, Mass.) tallied a pair of goals to lead the Bridgewater State University field hockey team to a 2-0 victory this afternoon over Framingham State University in Little East Conference (LEC) action at Maple Street Field.

With the win, the conference leading Bears improve to 6-0 in the Little East and 10-1 overall, while the Rams are now 6-4 on the year and 2-4 in the conference.  Bridgewater extended its' winning streak to five games.

Bridgewater State took a 1-0 lead just over nine minutes into the game.  Senior midfielder Shelby Farland (Fiskdale, Mass.) fired a shot into the circle that Vizakis deflected over the goalkeeper and into the back of the cage for her sixth marker of the season.

The Rams had the opportunity to tie the score on a pair of occasions late in the first half.  Sophomore Emma Littlefield (Rockport, Mass.) had an opportunity off a corner, but Bridgewater State goalie Kacie Sturgeon (Dartmouth, Mass.) made a diving save on the blast.  Not long after, junior Kaitlyn Ranieri (Bellingham, Mass.) fed a thru ball to freshman Samantha Pajer (Leicester, Mass.) behind the BSU defense, but Sturgeon once again came up with the big save.

The game would remain 1-0 until midway through the second when the Bears were able to add an insurance goal.  Junior forward Demi Miskiv (Centerville, Mass.) sent a cross to Vizakis in the circle and Vizakis placed a shot inside the post for her second of the game and the 2-0 advantage with 16:42 left in the contest.

The Rams had one last opportunity late in regulation to get on the board when Ranieri rifled a shot at the cage off a corner, but Sturgeon once again came up with the save.

The Bears held a 16-11 advantage in shots for the game, while the Rams had a 12-10 edge in corners.  Sturgeon recorded her second shutout of the season as she made seven saves, while senior Sarah Ryan (Uxbridge, Mass.) made nine stops for the Rams.

With her assist, Farland extended her point scoring streak to 15 games dating back to last season.  She entered the week ranked fifth in all of Division III in scoring, sixth in goals and 12th in assists.  Farland now has a conference-leading 17 goals and ten assists on the season for 44 points.

The Rams return to action on Thursday afternoon with a non-conference game at Becker slated to begin at 4 p.m., while the Bears host Anna Maria in a non-conference game on Thursday at 7 p.m.