BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Led by tournament MVP Taylor Clancy (Braintree, Mass.), the Bridgewater State University Bears captured the inaugural Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Women's Lacrosse Tournament championship as the top-seeded Bears downed second-seeded Westfield State University, 13-10, on Saturday afternoon at Swenson Field.
Bridgewater (17-2) will now advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the fourth straight season and fifth time in program history. The Bears, who also equaled the team single-season record for wins, will await word on the NCAA Tournament pairings which are expected to be announced on Sunday evening.
Clancy notched five goals to go along with four ground balls, two draw controls and three caused turnovers. Jill Caramello (Duxbury, Mass.) added five goals, three ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers, while Lauren Geary (Hull, Mass.) chipped in with a goal and two assists in addition to five ground balls and a game-best seven draws.
With her seven draws, Geary increased her season total to 187 as she eclipsed the NCAA Division III single-season mark of 184 draws set by Marisa Hebert of Western New England in 2010.
The Bears opened the game by scoring six of the first seven goals and eventually took an 8-3 lead into the intermission. Caramello found the back of the net three times in the opening 30 minutes, while Clancy scored twice.
After Westfield's Amanda Bouchard (Lexington, Mass.) opened the second half scoring, the Bears reeled off three straight goals, two by Clancy and one by Caramello, to take a commanding 11-4 advantage.
A three goal spurt by the Owls, including two by Bouchard, was answered by goals from Clancy and Caramello as the Bears maintained a comfortable 13-7 lead as the clock ticked under three minutes.
Westfield would pull to within three by tallying the final three goals of the contest with Bouchard scoring her fifth of the day to cut the deficit to 13-10 with just 1:25 remaining. The comeback however would stall as the Bears held the Owls without a shot over the last 85 seconds.
BSU netminder Chandler Ross (Wrentham, Mass.) turned aside six shots to record her 13th win of the season. Olivia Galvin (Mashpee, Mass.) led the Bears' defensive effort with five caused turnovers.
The Bears outshot the Owls by a margin of 35-19 and held a 16-9 advantage in draws as well as a 33-19 edge in ground balls.
Along with her five goals, Bouchard also added a pair of assists. Megan Griffin (Granby, Conn.) added three goals, two assists, three ground balls, five draw and two caused turnover for the Owls who finished the season with a record of 11-5. Westfield keeper Mimi Khampaeng (Hampden, Mass.) kept the Owls within striking distance by recording 16 saves to go along with three ground balls.