BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University women's lacrosse team cruised to a 19-5 victory over visiting Salem State University in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) contest on Wednesday night at rain-soaked Swenson Field.
The Bears improve to 11-5 on the season and 5-1 in the MASCAC with their fourth straight win, while the visiting Vikings fall to 3-12 overall and 2-4 in conference play.
Seven different players scored for Bridgewater State led by junior midfielder Elizabeth Ettridge (Marshfield, Mass.) who notched a game-high seven points on five goals and a pair of assists.
Sophomore attack Hayley White (Dracut, Mass.) added four goals and a helper for the Bears, while freshman attack Emily Hiller (Marion, Mass.) checked in with three goals and two assists. Senior attack Gabby Reinold (Braintree, Mass.) contributed three goals and an assist, and sophomore midfielder Victoria McDonough (Marshfield, Mass.) potted a goal and dished out a game-high three assists.
Junior attack Mackenzie Manning (Hingham, Mass.) with two markers and senior midfielder Brooke Buckner (Foxboro, Mass.) with one rounded out the Bears' goal scorers.
After giving up the first goal of the contest, Bridgewater ripped off a 9-0 run in a span of 16 minutes to take control of the game. Ettridge and Reinold combined for seven goals during the scoring outburst. The Bears would ultimately take a 12-2 lead into the break.
Ettridge netted all five of her goals over the first 30 minutes including the final tally of the period to make it a ten-goal cushion.
Bridgewater continued to dominate play in the second half. The lead remained in double-digits throughout the stanza and the Bears got up by as many as 15 goals (19-4) before settling for the 19-5 victory.
Junior attack Chelsea Smith (Tewksbury, Mass.) paced Salem State with three goals, while junior midfielder Paige Giuliano (Braintree, Mass.) registered a pair of assists.
The Bears held a decided 38-16 shot advantage for the game as well as a 19-6 edge in draw controls. McDonough led all players with seven draws, while Ettridge and junior defender Lisa Moynihan (Norwood, Mass.) recorded four apiece.
BSU sophomore goalkeeper Hayley Barner (Westwood, Mass.) turned aside five shots in 44-plus minutes of action to pick up her 11th win of the season. Freshman Alex Karp (Marlborough, Mass.) played the final 15 minutes and change, and registered one save. Freshman netminder Gianna DeNisco (Peabody, Mass.) made 13 saves for the Vikings.
Both teams wrap up regular season and MASCAC play on Saturday night at seven. The Bears travel to Westfield State University, while the Vikings entertain Worcester State University. With a win against Westfield, the Bears would earn a share of the MASCAC regular season title.