NORTON, Mass. – Bridgewater State University sophomore Melissa Renauld (Framingham, Mass.) and junior Lauren Geary (Hull, Mass.) combined for nine points to power the Bears to a 15-4 victory over the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth this afternoon in a NCAA Division III women's lacrosse contest at Nordin Field on the campus of Wheaton College.
Bridgewater State even its record at 1-1 on the young season, while the Corsairs dropped to 0-2. The victory also marked the first for rookie head coach Gina Riitano.
Renauld produced a game-high five points, including four goals, to lead the Bears. Geary tallied four markers, including the 100th of her career, while senior Riley Cachelin (Westwood, Mass.) recorded a goal and three assists for four points. Junior Marissa Yowell (Ashland, Mass.) contributed a hat trick to the offensive rush. Geary also won five draw controls and scooped up three ground balls. Sophomore Allie Forman (Marblehead, Mass.) made 10 saves to earn the win.
Sophomore Kelly Kryzak (Salisbury, Mass.) fueled the UMass Dartmouth offense for the second straight contest with one goal and two assists for three points. Freshman Erin LeBlanc (Walpole, Mass.) was under fire all afternoon as the Bears held a 32-17 shot advantage. She made seven of her 11 stops in the first half to match her season-high.
Bridgewater State took control of the contest from the opening draw, as Geary found the back of the net just 37 seconds into regulation. After Yowell made it a 2-0 game, Cachelin and fellow senior Katharine Trahan (Burlington, Mass.) scored 15 seconds apart to give the Bears a four-goal advantage and force a Corsair timeout.
UMass Dartmouth responded after the stoppage in play as junior Colleen Kane (Arlington, Mass.) put the hosts' on the board at the 6:20 mark. The Corsairs tried to ride their momentum, but Forman made a pair of point-blank saves to stop the surge.
Bridgewater State regained its offensive spark, scoring six unanswered goals to take a 10-2 lead into the halftime intermission. Renauld sparked the run with three straight goals, while Geary, Trahan and Yowell also scored.
The Bears continued to apply the offensive pressure, accounting for three of the first four goals of the second half to build a 13-3 lead with Yowell, Geary and Renauld doing the damage. Bridgewater State would not let its advantage dip below nine over the final 16 minutes. Geary and sophomore Alex King (Weymouth, Mass.) would close out the BSU scoring.
The Bears are back in action on Friday afternoon at 3:30 when they entertain the University of New England. The game will be played at Wheaton. UMass Dartmouth will return to action at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday (Mar. 15) when the Corsairs travel to Saint Joseph's (Maine).