By Jim Fenton
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- For the first time since 2017, the Bridgewater State University and Fitchburg State University women's lacrosse teams will meet in the postseason.
The fourth-seeded Bears (7-10) and the fifth-seeded Falcons (7-10) play a quarterfinal-round game in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament on Tuesday afternoon.
The matchup takes place at 4 p.m. at Peter Mazzaferro Field and the winner will likely advance to play at top-seeded Framingham State on Thursday in the semifinal round.
BSU (3-3 in the MASCAC) defeated Fitchburg State (1-5) at home on April 13, 19-10, with Savannah Herrington (Kinnelon, N.J.) scoring five goals and Camryn Gonsalves (East Bridgewater, Mass.) getting four goals and four assists.
The Bears enter the tournament with three wins in the final four games, their best stretch of the season.
"We feel good," said coach Erica Adams. "We believe in ourselves and each other. That's half the battle. We're looking forward to hosting. We'll be prepared.
"We just have to play our best and believe in ourselves and execute the game plan. I think we can compete with anyone in the conference, provided we do those things."
After opening the season 2-2, a stretch that included a trip to Puerto Rico for two games, the Bears lost seven of nine before the strong finish to the regular season.
"I think the season has had a little bit of ups and downs," said Adams. "We've been riding the wave of having some really great highs and some really tough lows.
"But I think the team has handled it with grace and has been able to come back to the drawing board and get back to work every day, knowing we still have an opportunity at the conference tournament.
"Off the field, our biggest strength that we have is team chemistry. We're a really tight-knit group. They believe in each other. They believe in themselves. They're able to fall back and rely on that when things are challenging."
The offense is led by a pair of juniors, Gonsalves and Erin McIntyre (Tewksbury, Mass.).
Gonsalves has team-high 73 points and is second with 46 goals to go with 27 assists. McIntyre is first with 52 goals and second with 69 points.
"They have come into their games a lot more this year," said Adams. "They're seeing the field better and understanding the level of play and the work that has to go into the preparation.
"They also have found a great combination between the two of them. They definitely find one another. They've been playing together three years and it makes it a little easier for them.
"Cami's super talented in her 1-v-1 offense and has done a great job of keeping her head up and finding her teammates when the defense collapses on her. Erin has found her niche in cutting off the ball and winning her 1-v-1 battles.
"It's a testament to them in what they've done in the offseason and the commitment to being creative with the ball and playing team offense and doing all the little things that lead up to the goals. That's helped them strengthen their game."
Herrington, one of five seniors on the roster, has 45 goals and four assists.
"She has found a really great off-the-ball movement," said Adams. "She's become much more creative with all her experience. Credit to her for expanding her game."
The fourth-leading scorer is junior Katy Shaw (Centerville, Mass.), who has 14 goals.
"I think the strongest point of our team from an Xs and Os standpoint is probably our offensive unit," said Adams. "We've created a lot of opportunities for ourselves and been really good at running our motion offense and finding each other and sharing the ball and making the right decisions."
Senior goalkeeper Laura Giovaniello (Walpole, Mass.) has started 11 games and recorded four wins while junior Brooke La Torra (Oak Park, Calif.) has three wins in six starts.
BSU played in the semifinal round of the MASCAC tournament a year ago, losing at home to Framingham State. There were only two seniors on the roster that day, so the Bears have some tourney experience on their side.
"That was a great learning experience for us," said Adams. "It's kind of a new season. Everyone always says in the March Madness basketball tournament, 'Survive and advance' and we like to say 'Thrive and advance.'
"We want to thrive in this opportunity and put our best foot forward and hit our stride at the right time, find that upward trend."