BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Freshman midfielder Lena Kassel (Stuttgart, Germany) recorded her third hat trick of the season to lead the visiting Fitchburg State University field hockey team to a 5-1 victory over Bridgewater State University on Tuesday evening in a Little East Conference (LEC) contest at Swenson field.

The Falcons improve to 4-4 on the season and 2-2 in the Little East, while the Bears fall to 1-7 overall and 0-3 in conference play.

Just two minutes into the game, Kassel converted off a penalty corner. Senior forward Sarah Craig (Ashburnham, Mass.) fed a pass to Kassel the top of the circle, who sent a vigorous backhand directly to the back of the net.

Kassel tallied her second goal of the day in the second quarter again off a penalty corner. Senior forward Grace Kerr (Holliston, Mass.) found a wide-open Kassel on a give-and-go play about ten yards in front of the net and the newcomer lifted the ball into the back of the cage.

Just 53 seconds later, Fitchburg ran the exact same play off a penalty corner. Kerr again found Kassel in front of the net for an almost identical goal. The strike marked Kassel's team-leading 15th of the season.

The Falcons tallied their fourth marker of the day with 11:13 remaining in the third quarter. Freshman forward Sophia Yates (Woodstock, Vt.) battled through a scuffle in front of the net and redirected a short pass from Craig into the back of the net.

Freshman forward Olivia Narkevicius (Phillipston, Mass.) added to the Falcons lead at 4:37 in the third quarter. The BSU netminder mishandled a shot by junior midfielder Sophia Piper (Chelmsford, Mass.) from outside the circle and Narkevicius tucked home the loose ball into the back of the cage.

The Bears broke up the shutout bid with just 43 seconds remaining in the contest. Senior forward Bailey Turner (Dedham, Mass.) received a long pass from senior midfielder Jordyn Perry (Nantucket, Mass.) and was able to beat the Falcon keeper for her first goal of the 2022 season.

Fitchburg finished with a decided 20-2 shot advantage for the game as well as a 20-3 edge in penalty corners.

Junior netminder Jenna Morse (Leominster, Mass.) played the first 45 minute to earn her fourth win of the season for the Falcons. Morse did not face a shot.

Freshman keeper Ashley Hamelin (Whitinsville, Mass.) turned aside four shots between the pipes for Bridgewater State. The Bears also received a career-high three defensive saves from junior defender Kelly Sharkey (Salisbury, Mass.).

In upcoming action, the Bears host Keene State College in a Little East matchup on Sunday afternoon at one. The Falcons travel to Rivier University on Friday night for a seven o'clock game with the Raiders.

Notes: The game marked the 36th meeting between the two squads with the Bears holding a 27-8-1 lead in the all-time series.