Framngham, MA --- The Framingham State University women's lacrosse team picked up their first conference victory of the season with an 18-15 win this afternoon over Worcester State University in New England Women's Lacrosse Alliance (NEWLA) action at Maple Street Field.
With the win, the Rams improve to 4-3 on the season and 1-2 in the NEWLA, while the Lancers are still in search of their first victory of the year at 0-7 overall and 0-3 in the conference.
FSU senior Kerry Kiley (Mansfield, MA) once again led the Rams offense with six goals as she upped her season total to 31. Junior Chelsea Temple (Rutland, VT) chipped in five goals, while classmate Heather Masse (Billerica, MA) added three. Junior Brittany McLean (Walpole, MA) chipped in two goals, while sophomore Lauren Kent (Framingham, MA) added two goals and a pair of helpers.
Defensively the Rams were led by junior Courtney Robinson (Beverly, MA) picked up 11 ground balls as McLean and sophomore Marissa Canfield (Billerica, MA) both finished with five ground balls each.
The Lancers were led by junior Daryl Powell (Beverly, MA) who chipped in three goals and two assists while senior Meagan Sheehan (Dunstable, MA), sophomore Vicki O'Brien (Canton, MA) and freshman Angela Grassetti (Feeding Hills, MA) each found the back of the net three times. Freshman Jaclyn Lawlor (Westford, MA) contributed two goals and two helpers.
Powell and Lawlor combined for 10 draws and five ground balls as junior Stacey Doherty (Westford, MA) recorded four ground balls and a trio of draw controls.
Sophomore Rebecca Rixan (Stow, MA) picked up the victory for the Rams in net making eight saves while senior Haley Erickson (Saugus, MA) earned the loss as she finished collecting 12 saves.
In a tightly contested first half that saw nine ties and a lead no larger than two for either team, the Rams used three goals in the final 5:31 to take an 11-9 advantage at the break.
Worcester State quickly tied the score 11-11 just over a minute into the second half. Kiley scored for the Rams at 26:39 giving the hosts a one goal lead, but three quick goals by Lancers put them back in front by two with 20:59 left on the clock (14-12).
The Rams responded with a 4-0 run over the next ten minutes with Temple tallying three times to take the lead for good.
Overall Framingham State led in shots (36-29) and dominated in ground balls (31-19) while the Lancers held the 20-13 edge in draw controls.
Both squads will return to action in 7 PM games after Easter Sunday. Worcester State hosts Mass Maritime in a NEWLA contest while the Rams travel to Western Connecticut.
Major Portions of Release Courtesy of Framingham State Sports Information