CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- The MIT women's lacrosse team held on for a 16-13 victory over visiting Bridgewater State University on Monday evening at Jack Barry Field.
The host Engineers improve to 3-2 on the season, while the Bears fall to 2-4 with their third straight setback.
Freshman midfielder Rayna Higuchi (Solana Beach, Calif.) scored a game-high five goals, and junior midfielder Katie Notarangelo (Foxboro, Mass.) tallied four goals and an assist to lead MIT to the non-conference win. Higuchi also added four ground balls and five draw controls.
Senior attack Melissa Renauld (Framingham, Mass.) recorded a team-best five points on four goals and an assist to pace the Bears.
Freshman attack Victoria McDonough (Marshfield, Mass.) added three goals and an assist to go along with five ground balls, while junior midfielders Rebecca McGlone (Salem, Conn.) and Brooke Buckner (Foxboro, Mass.) chipped in with two goals apiece.
Junior netminder Eva Boal (Princeton Junction, N.J.) turned aside seven shots to record her third win of the season between the pipes for MIT. BSU senior goaltender Allie Forman (Marblehead, Mass.) recorded seven saves in the setback.
MIT netted the first five goals of the contest and seemed poised to run away with the win.
The resilient Bears, however, responded by scoring five of the next six goals with McDonough and Buckner notching two apiece during that span. Renauld's first strike of the evening cut the deficit to 6-5 with 1:03 left to play in the first half.
Higuchi answered for the Engineers with just ten seconds remaining in the opening stanza to give the hosts a 7-5 lead at the break.
The Bears knotted the score on three separate occasions in the second half, including 12-12 with 7:30 showing on the scoreboard, but the Engineers responded each time.
After McGlone tied it up at 12-all, back-to-back tallies by Notarangelo and Higuchi 36 seconds apart gave MIT a 14-12 advantage.
McGlone cut the deficit to one (14-13) with 4:28 remaining off an assist from McDonough. The Bears won the ensuing draw, but then turned the ball over.
Higuchi capitalized on the miscue with a goal at the 2:48 mark. The Engineers controlled the ensuing draw and Higuchi potted her fifth marker of the night with 72 seconds remaining to cap off the scoring as the Engineers came away with the 16-13 win.
MIT held a 19-11 advantage in draw controls, while Bridgewater had the edge in ground balls (26-16) and shots (31-28). The Engineers finished 4-for-8 on free position attempts, while the Bears went 1-for-2.
Both squads are back in action with home games on Wednesday. MIT will open NEWMAC play against the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, while Bridgewater State will square off with non-conference foe University of New England.
Notes: With her four goals, Renauld increased her career total to 189 as she moved past Laura Swart (188 goals) into sixth place on the Bears; all-time goal scoring list.