BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State College Bears captured the New England Women's Lacrosse Alliance (NEWLA) regular season title outright as BSC downed Fitchburg State College, 22-11, this afternoon in Bridgewater.
Bridgewater wraps up the regular season with a record of 12-4 with a perfect 7-0 mark in the NEWLA. The Bears have won five straight games and 12 of their last 13. BSC has also won 16 straight games against NEWLA opponents since rejoining the league prior to the 2008 season.
Bridgewater used a six-goal outburst midway through the first half to pull away from FSC. Leading 7-4 with just under 14 minutes left in the opening stanza, the Bears scored six straight goals in a 5 ½ minute span to take control of the game. BSC led 14-6 at the half and iced the game by outscoring the Falcons, 7-2, over the first 20 minutes of the final period.
BSC junior Katie DeMaio (Port Jefferson Station, NY) led all scorers with six goals and nine points as she also notched three assists. DeMaio now has 148 goals and 207 points in her career as she moved past Ann Silvia (145 goals, 204 points) into fourth place on the Bears all-time goals and scoring lists.
Junior Shannon Manning (Framingham, MA) and freshman Kristin White (Pelham, MA) registered seven points apiece. Manning scored three goals, dished out four assists and added a pair of draw controls. She set the Bears' all-time record for draw controls as she now has 146 in her career. Manning also increased her 2009 scoring total to 93 points which is the fourth highest single-season mark in program history. White finished with four goals and three assists to go along with two draws.
Sophomores Jenny Jones (Framingham, MA), Patricia Maloney (Walpole, MA) and Courtney Lennon (Medfield, MA) also filled up the stat sheet for the Bears. Jones chipped in with four goals, an assist and two draw controls, while Maloney tallied three goals and an assist as well as five draws and two ground balls. Lennon added a goal, three assists and four draw controls.
Junior Meghan Griffin (Billerica, MA) turned aside 11 shots to record her 11th win of the season in goal for the Bears. Sophomore Erin Quimby (Chelmsford, MA) paced the Bears defensively with two caused turnovers and three ground balls.
Bridgewater held a 30-24 shot advantage as well as a 19-16 edge in draws controlled. The Bears also committed just 21 fouls as opposed to 34 for the Falcons.
Freshman Amanda Burns (Weymouth, MA) led the way for visiting Fitchburg with three goals, three assists, three draw controls and two ground balls. Sophomore Kaitlyn Kelley (Pepperell, MA) added two goals and two assists, while freshman Carissa Kennedy (Somerset, MA) posted four draw controls and four caused turnovers.
Bridgewater will host Worcester State College in the NEWLA Tournament semifinals on Wednesday afternoon. Fitchburg ends the 2009 season with an overall record of 6-9. The Falcons finished fifth in the NEWLA standings with a 3-4 conference mark.