FITCHBURG, Mass. -- Third-seeded Fitchburg State College earned a trip to the Little East Conference semifinals, defeating sixth-seeded, the University of Southern Maine, 2-1 in quarterfinal action this evening.

Fitchburg State (14-4) advances to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in program history and will meet second-seeded UMass Dartmouth. Southern Maine concludes its 2009 campaign with an overall record of 10-10.

After a silent first half which witnessed only six shots on target and only four penalty corners, Fitchburg State opened the scoring as junior Mari Roma (Foxborough, Mass.) netted her second goal of the season. Roma put the Falcons on the board in the 53rd minute, gathering a loose ball in front of the net and slamming it home for an early 1-0 edge.

Fitchburg State's lead was short-lived however as Southern Maine came storming ack with a goal of its own just 1:33 later. Senior Caitlin Albert (Scarborough, Maine) netted the equalizer for the Huskies, scooping up a feed from sophomore Haley Carter (Saco, Maine) for her team-leading tenth score of the year.

Down the stretch in the second half, the Huskies created some key scoring opportunities, but Falcons goaltender Taylor Van Ahnen (Seekonk, Mass.) and the Fitchburg State back-line held off the Southern Maine pursuit to force a 15 minute overtime period.

In the extra frame, Fitchburg State came out running, generating several scoring chances with four penalty corners. Midway through the period, the Falcons sealed their fate as senior Paula Bartalamia (Tewksbury, Mass.) cashed in her team-leading 13th goal of the season off junior Megan Jacobs' (Stoughton, Mass.) helper. Bartalamia took Jacob's dish on the left side of the circle and shuffled it past keeper Allison Hill (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) to give the Falcons their second straight victory over the Huskies.

Fitchburg State out-shot Southern Maine 16-6 in the contest with a commanding 12-4 lead in corner attempts. Van Ahnen held strong in net, earning her 11th victory of the season with three saves, while Hill stopped eight shots for the Huskies.