Field Hockey Beats Salem State in Conference Match up

Plymouth, NH – The Lady Panthers beat Salem State 1-0 in a balmy Little East Conference game this past Tuesday afternoon at home, as PSU improves to 7-4 overall. The weather was cold, to say the least of the frigid fall air that settled in on Arold Field. Plymouth was anything but cold as they brought the heat fast and early on the offensive side of the ball. Panther senior Amanda Gutowski scored the only goal of the game. The first half was all Plymouth State as the offense was running on four cylinders giving the Viking defense more than they could handle. The Panther midfield did a good job of spreading the ball around, giving the offense shot after shot on Salem State junior goalie Meaghan Oskirko. Oskirko had some key saves throughout the first half however, and kept the home team at bay. The Panther defense stifled any chance of attack by the Vikings, and Junior Kara Parent leading the defensive stop with some impressive one-on-one play. Finally, with less than a minute left to play in the half, Gutowski scored the first and only goal of the game. The Panthers continued their strong play and got some shots on net early in the second half. Vikings goalie, Oskirko would have none of it as she continued her solid play in net. Panther sophomore Christina Farias led the charge as she left Viking defenders in the dust, but the score remained the same. Salem State found some life and began to have some offensive spurts, but by the end of the game the Panthers held on and kept the Vikings in check. The Panthers pulled it together as the offense and defense fed off each other all afternoon and their one goal was all they needed to defeat Salem State. Senior Co Captain Amanda Gutowski said “We played well together as a team, but the score should have been a lot higher.” The Panthers had a 20-1 shot advantage against Salem State. The Panthers must now play on the road for the next three games before returning to play LEC rival Worcester State on October 23d.