BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Top-seeded Bridgewater State University posted an 18-3 victory over #4 Fitchburg State University in the semifinal round of the 2014 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Women's Lacrosse Tournament on Thursday evening at Swenson Field.

The defending champion Bears (13-5) will advance to the MASCAC title game on Saturday afternoon as the Bears will host second-seeded Worcester State University at one.  Worcester disposed of #3 Westfield State University, 12-9, in the other semifinal matchup.

Junior attack Riley Cachelin (Westwood, Mass.) paced the Bears with a game high eight points on four goals and four assists in addition to four ground balls. Freshman midfielder Alex King (Weymouth, Mass.) added a game-high five goals to go along with an assist, while freshman attack Melissa Renauld (Framingham, Mass.) notched three goals and a pair of helpers.

Sophomore midfielder Lauren Geary (Hull, Mass.) filled the stat sheet with two goals, an assist, two ground balls and a game-best ten controlled draws.  Senior attack Melanie Appleman (Hyannis, Mass.) scored a goal and assisted on three others, while senior midfielder Taylor Clancy (Braintree, Mass.)  finished with two goals, four ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers.

Bridgewater scored the first 13 goals of the game and dominated play from start to finish.  The Bears held a 13-2 advantage at the intermission and took their biggest lead of the game at 18-2 on a goal by freshman defender  Gaelin Reall (Providence, R.I.) with 3:24 remaining in the final stanza.  Bridgewater held a decided advantage in shots (34-17), ground balls (22-13) and draws (15-8).

BSU sophomore netminder Chandler Ross (Wrentham, Mass.) registered ten saves between the pipes to record her fifth win of the season.  Sophomore Elizabeth Darrigo (Billerica, Mass.) turned aside 11 shots in goal for the visiting Falcons.

Junior attack Lindsey White (Hanover, Mass.) paced the visitors with a pair of goals. Fitchburg ends the season with an overall mark of 9-9.

Notes: The Bears will not only be making their second straight appearance in the MASCAC Championship game, but also their seventh straight appearance in a conference title game.  Bridgewater won five straight New England Women's Lacrosse Alliance (NEWLA) Tournament championships from 2008 to 2012 before moving to the MASCAC prior to the 2013 season….With her eight points, Cachelin moved into  ninth place on the Bears' all-time scoring list as she now has 192 points in three seasons at BSU.