BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State College women's lacrosse team captured the 2008 New England Women's Lacrosse Alliance (NEWLA) Tournament championship as the top-seeded Bears knocked off second-seeded Castleton State College, 19-5, this afternoon in Bridgewater.

Bridgewater, which tied the school record for most wins in a season with 14 (14-4), will now await word on a possible postseason berth.  The NCAA Division III Tournament pairings will be announced Sunday and the ECAC Division III Tournament pairings will be announced on Monday.  The NEWLA does not own an automatic qualifier, so BSC would have to be an at-large selection to get into the NCAA Tournament.

Sophomore midfielder Shannon Manning (Framingham, MA) set the Bears' single-season scoring mark as she became the first player in BSC women's lacrosse history to reach the century mark.  Manning scored five goals and added an assist to increase her season total to 101 points (52 goals, 49 assists). She eclipsed Paula Habel's 2002 mark of 99 points.

The Bears dominated play from start to finish as they jumped out to a 4-0 lead and took a 12-3 advantage into halftime.  Castleton never threatened as BSC tallied the first two goals of the second half and five of the first six.  The Bears' largest lead of the game ended up being the final score of 19-5. Bridgewater held a 29-19 edge in shots for the game and an 18-9 advantage in draw controls.

Freshman attack Jenny Jones (Framingham, MA) added four goals and pair of assists in the win.  Jones, who holds the Bears' single-season rookie goal scoring record, now has 59 goals on the season.  Ann Silvia is the owner of the BSC goal scoring mark with 65 in 1999.

Sophomore attack Katie DeMaio (Port Jefferson Station, NY) chipped in with two goals and two assists, while freshman attack Courtney Lennon (Medfield, MA) tallied a goal and two assists to go along with five draw controls. DeMaio now has 56 goals and 22 assists on the season as her 78 points is the sixth highest single-season total in BSC women's lacrosse history.

Sophomore goaltender Meghan Griffin (Billerica, MA) turned aside seven shots to record her ninth win of the season against just three losses.  Junior defender Sarah Pimental (Acushnet, MA) played well defensively for the Bears as she recorded three ground balls, five draw controls and a caused turnover.

Freshman attack Marie VanDerKar (Manchester, VT) paced Castleton with three goals and five draw controls.  Junior netminder Meredith Pope (Montpelier, VT) took the loss in goal for the Spartans.  Pope (10-7) registered three saves in one half of play. 

The NEWLA Tournament championship is the Bears' third overall and first since the 2003 season.  Bridgewater competed as an independent women's lacrosse program from 2005 to 2007 before rejoining the NEWLA prior to the start of this season.