Worcester, MA- In a bumped up second conference game, the Women's Lacrosse team (6-6, 0-1) host the Westfield State Owls in a crucial post-season determining meeting between the two squads. The Lancers are looking for their first win versus the Owls since the 2014 season, a win tonight could set them up for a top seed in the postseason.
Final
Worcester State: 11
Westfield State: 10
How it Happened:
The game would open with the Lancers on the offense and within one minute junior Mckayla Fisher (Peabody, MA) would score the first goal of the game from sophomore Madigan Kelley (Bourne, MA). The Owls, determined to even the score, would record a goal a couple of minutes later evening the score, however not for long with Fisher scoring another goal to put Worcester State back ahead. Westfield would see an advantage with a turnover to keep pace but four minutes left in the quarter senior Abbie Wing (Griswold, CT) would find the net, bringing the score to sitting at 3-3. Not soon after Westfield State would score another goal however, with the Lancer's determination, WSU would score another goal, ending the period ahead 4-3
The second found the Owls even the score just twenty seconds into the second period with a shot but not long after they would find themselves with a two-minute penalty, giving the Lancers an advantage to score yet another goal from Wing. The ball would find itself within Fisher's stick yet again, allowing her to score her fourth goal of the game and extend the Lancer lead to 6-4 . About halfway through the second quarter, Westfield State would create another goal, but the gap would again be widened as junior Shannon Donahue (Dennis, MA) scored her first goal of the day. Westfield would bridge the gap by one shortly after but one minute left in the quarter, senior Hannah Erickson (Dunstable, MA) would knotch her first goal with an assist from junior Molly Witkowski (Greenville, NY) followed up with just 30 seconds to go by another Fisher score to carry a 10-6 rally into the half.
A minute into the second half of the game, Lancers would get a penalty, giving Westfield the opportunity to record their 7th goal, followed by another quick goal making the score 10-8. Goalkeeper senior Olivia LaValle (Peabody, MA) would manage to block off many attempts by Westfield however, with 2 minutes remaining the Owls would score another goal bringing the score to 10-9. This score would hold into the fourth quarter as Worcester was shut out of the third in scoring attempts as Westfield started to elevate their defensive presence.
The first half of the last quarter would see lots of defense partnered with some offense attempts by both teams. The Owls would manage to slide in a goal, evening the score 10-10 but with 5 minutes remaining in the game, Witkowski (Greenville, NY) would score her first goal and give the lead back to the Lancers as the final precious minutes clicked away. The defensive intensity was high on both sides as the Owls tried to tie the game and force extra time while the Lancers looked to grab their first win in over 10 years on the Owls. A late green card on Westfield would give Worcester the field player advantage with just a minute left where they opted to fall into a stall to hold on for the win with a lone second half goal doing the trick.
Lavalle would end the game with 13 saves and eight ground balls in a standout performance in the cage.
What's Next:
The Lancers (7-6, 1-1) are back on the road this Saturday. They will travel to Salem State for a 12 p.m. meeting with the Vikings.