Salem State Rallies Past Fitchburg State, 2-1

Kirouac totals nine saves in the Falcons final contest of the 2012 season

FITCHBURG, Mass. (October 27, 2012) – Sophomore Amy Griffith (Middleton, Mass./Middleton) registered the game winning tally at the 81:29 mark, as Salem State defeated Fitchburg State, 2-1 in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference action this afternoon at Elliot Field.

Following a scoreless first half, Fitchburg State grabbed the lead at the 59:48 mark as junior Rachel Jamieson (Foxboro, Mass./Foxboro) notched her team leading seventh marker of the season. The junior forward turned a defender and fired a shot from the left side into the lower right corner for the 1-0 margin.

Salem State responded (1-1) in the 65th minute of play when freshman Kelly Birchmore (Swampscott, Mass./Swampscott) blasted a shot from the left side for her sixth score of the season off an assist from sophomore Sara Previte (Beverly, Mass./Beverly) . The Vikings completed the comeback with just over eight minutes remaining in regulation as Griffith took a feed from freshman Alysha Brunelle (Auburn, Mass./Auburn) and tucked the ball inside the far post resulting in the 2-1 final.

In the opening period, Salem State nearly took the lead in the 9th minute of play as Birchmore fired a shot point blank that was turned away by Falcon goalkeeper Jillian Kirouac(Leominster, Mass./Leominter). Fitchburg State's best scoring chance came midway through the first half, when junior Kimberly Carroll (Tewksbury, Mass./Tewksbury) launched a shot on target, but Viking goalie Rachel Ledbetter (Dracut, Mass./Dracut) was able to make the save to preserve the 0-0 deadlock heading into the break.

Throughout the contest, Salem State out shot Fitchburg State 18-7, while limiting the Falcons to just two corners. Between the pipes, Kirouac stopped nine shots in 83 minutes of action for the hosts, while Ledbetter notched a pair of saves en-route the complete game victory for the Vikings.

With the loss, Fitchburg State concludes the 2012 season with an overall record of 3-14 and a 1-6 clip in the MASCAC, while Salem State (9-5-2, 3-2-2 MASCAC) awaits its seeding in the upcoming MASCAC tournament.