FITCHBURG, Mass. -- Bridgewater State's Taylor Clancy (Braintree, Mass.) led all scorers with a game-high six points as the Bears defeated the Fitchburg State women's lacrosse team, 17-9, in New England Women's Lacrosse Alliance (NEWLA) action this afternoon.

Clancy paced the high-scoring Bridgewater attack, totaling six goals on the afternoon, while Melanie Appleman (Hyannis, Mass.) added three points with a trio of markers and an assist. Freshman Riley Cachelin (Westwood, Mass.) was also strong with two tallies in the contest, while six other Bears all contributed goals.

For the Falcons, junior Jessica Bartlett (Marlborough, Mass.) notched a team-best five points, posting three goals and two assists, while classmate Kristin Dooley (Salem, Mass.) connected for three points with a pair of makers and one dish.

In the first half, Fitchburg State jumped out to an early 3-0 lead as Dooley, Bartlett and Kelly Finamore (Weymouth, Mass.) hit on consecutive scores, but Bridgewater State rallied right back, knotting the score at 5-5 with a five goal surge. Appleman and Clancy led the run with two goals apiece, while Cachelin chipped in with one of her two markers on the afternoon.

The Bears took over the lead for good with 9:19 remaining in the first half as they closed out the period with a 3-1 rally to post a 8-6 advantage at the break. Clancy and Kinsley Willis (Canton, Mass.) put Bridgewater State on top 7-5 with back-to-back markers, but a Lindsay White (Hanover, Mass.) marker by the Falcons kept Fitchburg State within one (7-6). Clancy added the final score of the stanza to give the Bears their two goal margin.

In the second half, Bridgewater State's offense took over, outscoring the Falcons 9-3 to post its first NEWLA victory of the season in the conference opener for both teams. Clancy was the lone Bear with multiple goals in the final stanza, while Appleman, Cachelin, Sammi Salverio (Hanson, Mass.), Stephanie Lannon (Swampscott, Mass.), Carly Campbell (Mansfield, Mass.), Samantha Devine (Marshfield, Mass.) and Michelle Navoni (Mansfield, Mass.) all added tallies. Senior Carissa Kennedy (Somerset, Mass.) added a pair of goals for the Falcons.

Bridgewater State held a slim lead in shots throughout the contest, holding a 27-24 margin, but Fitchburg State dominated the draw, collecting a 17-10 advantage. The Bears picked up a 20-15 edge in groundballs, while forcing 19 Falcon turnovers.  Kennedy led all players with seven draws while Dooley notched five.  Clancy paced the visitors with four draw controls.

The Bears converted 6 of 8 free position attempts, while the Falcons were just 3-for-9. Clancy finished 3-for-4 in free position chances.

In net, sophomore Victoria Moore (Duxbury, Mass.) notched six stops in just under 51 minutes of work to post her third win of the season for Bridgewater.  Freshman Jessica Polaski (Agawam, Mass.) turned aside two shots over the final 9:02. Sophomore Dylana Drolette (Burlington, Vt.) collected three saves for Fitchburg State.

Fitchburg State (3-4, 1-1 NEWLA) will be back in action on Tuesday as it hosts Wheaton College at 7 p.m. Bridgewater State (3-5, 1-0 NEWLA) will host Plymouth State on Tuesday at 7 p.m.