The win is the third straight for the Falcons who stand at 7-10 overall and 3-8 in the Little East Conference.  Southern Maine falls to 8-12 overall and 5-6 in the LEC.  The Huskies will await the pairing for the 2014 Little East Conference Tournament which begins on Tuesday, November 4. 

            Hoffman set up Fitchburg State's first goal of the game when she sent a ball to the right side of the cage from the top of the circle to a waiting freshman Bailey Miller (Leominster, Mass.).  Miller redirected the Hoffman pass in the 16th minute to score her fourth goal of the season and put the Falcons ahead 1-0.  Southern Maine outshot FSU 8-6 in the opening half, but Fitchburg senior goalkeeper Lucy Holewa (Londonderry, N.H.) made key saves to keep her team ahead.

            In the second half, FSU doubled its advantage just six minutes into the second half as Hoffman notched her third goal of the season in the 42nd minute.   Hoffman ran onto a through ball from junior Erin Morrissey (Leominster, Mass.) and beat Southern Maine sophomore goalkeeper Amanda Kasbohm (York, Maine) to the far post for a 2-0 Falcon lead. 

            Husky junior Allison Ward (Rockland, Maine/Oceanside) pulled her team to within a goal eight minutes later.  Ward launched a powerful shot form the right side of the circle beating Holewa for her ninth goal of the season as USM trailed 2-1. 

            The Huskies had several strong opportunities in the final 10 minutes, including three of its nine penalty corners, but the Fitchburg defense held for the win. Falcon freshman Rachael Denning (Salem, N.H.) cleared a near goal off of the line for a defensive save with just six minutes to play on a strong scoring bid from USM sophomore Jennifer Poulin (Winslow, Maine).

            Kasbohm finished the game making four saves in the loss, while Holewa turned back five.

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