BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The visiting Roger Williams University women's lacrosse team posted a 17-12 non-conference win over Bridgewater State University on Thursday night at Swenson Field.
The Hawks improve to 9-4 on the season, while the host Bears slip to 6-8.
RWU senior midfielder Devin Machette (Norwalk, Conn.) led all players with six goals to go along with an assist. Senior attack Kelsey Rahilly (East Longmeadow, Mass.) notched a game-best seven points on two goals and five assists, while junior midfielder Caitlin Murphy (Londonderry, N.H.) and sophomore midfielder McKenna Everding (Fayetteville, N.Y.) chipped in with four and three goals, respectively.
Senior attack Riley Cachelin (Westwood, Mass.) paced the Bears with three goals and four assist. Junior midfielder Lauren Geary (Hull, Mass.) added four points on three goals and a helper, while sophomore Alex King (Weymouth, Mass.) checked in with a goal and a pair of assists. Geary also added a game-high eight draw controls and seven ground balls to go along with three caused turnovers.
Trailing 6-4 midway through the first half, the Hawks closed out the stanza with a 6-1 run to take a 10-7 lead into the intermission. Machette and Murphy tallied two goals apiece during the spurt.
Roger Williams carried that momentum into the second half scoring five of the first six goals of the period, including three by Machette, to take a commanding 15-8 lead with just over 18 minutes remaining.
The teams exchanged two goals apiece over the next 15 minutes before Cachelin and Geary closed out the scoring for the Bears in the final two minutes to account for the final tally of 17-12.
Roger Williams held a 39-34 shot advantage for the game as well as a 12-9 edge in ground balls. The Hawks also connected on 6 of 11 free position shots, while the Bears converted just 1 of 4.
Bridgewater State had a slight 16-15 edge in draws led by Geary's eight. Senior midfielder Mackenzie Logan (Vernon, N.J.) tallied a team-best seven draws for the visitors. Logan also notched a goal and two assists.
Sophomore goaltender Kimberly Bolk (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) made 12 saves to record her ninth win between the pipes for the Hawks. BSU sophomore netminder Allie Forman (Marblehead, Mass.) turned aside 14 shots in the setback.
Both teams are on the road for conference games on Saturday. The Bears take on Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) foe Salem State University at 5:30 PM, while the Hawks face-off against Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) rival University of New England at 4:00 PM.