WORCESTER, Mass. – Seventh-seeded Bridgewater State University stunned #2 Worcester State University, 3-1, in the quarterfinal round of the 2016 Little East Conference (LEC) Field Hockey Tournament on Saturday evening at John F. Coughlin Memorial Field.

Senior forward Brittany Cullinane (Lunenburg, Mass.) tallied a goal and an assist to lead the way for the visiting Bears who improve to 11-6 on the season. Bridgewater advances to the tournament semifinal round on Wednesday afternoon and will travel to #6 University of Southern Maine to take on the Huskies at 2:30.

Worcester ends the season with an overall mark of 13-6.

The host Lancers opened the scoring in the 19th minute when junior defender Hayley D'Auteauil (Sutton, Mass.) converted a cross from freshman forward Olivia Antonelli (Westford, Mass.)  for the 1-0 advantage.

However, Bridgewater State knotted the score in the 30th minute when Hayley Grimes (East Longmeadow, Mass.) beat her defender and placed the ball past Worcester netminder Kathryn Salemme (Acton, Mass.) for the 1-1 score going into the intermission.

Bridgewater State pulled away with a pair of second half goals and held the Lancers scoreless the rest of the way.

Sophomore midfielder Samantha Hayes (Norwood, Mass.) put the Bears on top when she fired home a shot off a drop pass from Cullinane in the 42nd minute. For Hayes, the goal marked her eighth of the season.

Cullinane registered the final goal of the contest as she found herself on the left side of the scoring zone, stuttered with the ball, and then flicked a shot past Salemme for the 3-1 lead.

With her three points, Cullinane moved into fourth place on the Bears' all-time scoring list as she now has 86 points (38G, 10A) in four seasons at Bridgewater State.

The Lancers battled back and saw five shots on goal in the remaining five minutes, but were unable to slide one past Bridgewater goalkeeper Allison Chappell (Raynham, Mass.) who came away with nine saves on the evening.

Chappell picked up her 11th win of the season. Senior defender Melissa Butler (Watertown, Mass.) also recorded a defensive save for the Bears.

Salemme stopped 12 of the 15 shots she faced in the setback.

The Bears outshot the Lancers, 18-14, and also held a heavy 12-6 advantage in penalty corners.