BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The University of New England women's lacrosse team posted a 15-9 non-conference victory over host Bridgewater State University on Friday afternoon at Swenson Field.
The visiting Nor'easters improve to 2-3 on the season with the win, while the Bears slip to 1-2 overall.
UNE changed the momentum of the game following a timeout in the first half. Trailing 6-3, the Nor'easters closed out the stanza with a 5-1 run to take an 8-7 lead into the intermission.
Sophomore midfielder Jocelyn Davee (Freeport, Maine) and senior attack Nikki Smith (Shapleigh, Maine) each scored two goals during the surge while senior midfielder Rachel Schwaner (Holderness, N.H.) tallied the go-ahead goal with just five seconds remaining.
The visitors carried the momentum into the second half as they held the Bears scoreless over the first 15 minutes of the period and to just two goals overall.
Senior attack Gina Newsome (Danbury, Conn.) and senior midfielder Jessica Deedon (Sherman, Conn.) combined to score the first four goals of the final stanza to increase the Nor'easters advantage to 12-7.
BSU senior attack Riley Cachelin (Westwood, Mass.) found the back of the net off a feed from sophomore attack Alex King (Weymouth, Mass.) with 14:23 remaining to close the gap to 12-8.
However, senior midfielder Hannah Warren (Harrison, Maine), senior attack Macki Hill (York Beach, Maine), and Newsome scored three consecutive goals in a span of just over three minutes to put the game out of reach.
Eight different players scored for UNE. Newsome paced the well-balanced offense with three goals to go along with an assist, while Deedon also potted three goals. Schwaner finished with two goals and an assist to go along with four draw controls. Warren also contributed four draws in addition to a goal and an assist.
Cachelin notched two goals and three assists to the lead the Bears, while junior attack Marissa Yowell (Ashland, Mass.) netted three goals and assisted on one. Sophomore attack Melissa Renauld (Framingham, Mass.) rounded out BSU's top point producers with three tallies. Junior midfielder Lauren Geary (Hull, Mass.) led all players with five draws.
Sophomore netminder Allie Forman (Marblehead, Mass.) was very busy between the pipes for the Bears in the setback as she faced 32 shots and recorded 17 saves. BSU was outshot in the contest, 35-26.
UNE junior goaltenders Lauryn Huck (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) and Courtney Kendall (Waltham, Mass.) combined to make 11 saves with Huck notching her second win of the season.
Along with the shot advantage, the Nor'easters also held the edge in ground balls (13-9) and draws (14-2) while turnovers were even at 15 apiece. UNE connected on 3 of 6 free position shots, while BSU went just 1-for-9.
In upcoming action, the Bears entertain Salve Regina University on Tuesday night at seven. The Nor'easters travel to Kissimmee, Florida to take on Oswego State on Tuesday at 10:00 AM.