May 8, 2010

Bridgewater State Defeats Castleton for NEWLA Title

Boxscore

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State College women's lacrosse team captured their third straight New England Women's Lacrosse Alliance (NEWLA) Tournament championship and fifth overall as the Bears downed Castleton State College, 21-9, this afternoon in Bridgewater.

Bridgewater (15-4) will advance to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament for only the second time in program history and first since 2003.  The Bears have now won 11 straight games.  Castleton (13-6) will now await word on a possible ECAC Tournament bid. 

Senior midfielder Shannon Manning (Framingham, MA), the NEWLA Offensive Player of the Year, paced the host Bears with a game-high seven goals to go along with six draw controls.  Senior attack Katie DeMaio (Port Jefferson Station, NY) and junior attack Jenny Jones (Framingham, MA) each added four goals and an assist.

The game was close early with Bridgewater holding a 6-5 advantage with just over nine minutes remaining in the first half.  From that point on, the Bears dominated play as they held the Spartans to just one goal over the next 38 minutes.  Bridgewater outscored Castleton 14-1 over that period.

Senior goaltender Meghan Griffin (Billerica, MA) was outstanding between the pipes for the Bears as she made 12 saves.  Griffin, NEWLA Goalkeeper of the Year, set the program record for wins with her 15th of the year.  She also increased her season save total to 185 as she is only seven saves shy of the school mark of 192 set by Karen Rapchuk in 1986.

Junior defenders Erin Quimby (Chelmsford, MA) and Kasey Sheehan (Bridgewater, MA) anchored a stong defensive unit in front of Griffin.  Quimby caused a pair of turnovers and also tallied a goal and an assist.  Sheehan forced three turnovers and notched three ground balls as well.

Sophomore midfielder Angelica Mazzola (Centerport, NY) potted three goals for the Castelton, while Nicole Adams (Rutland, VT) dished out a game-high four assists.  Freshman netminder Lily Derbyshire (Little Compton, RI) turned aside seven shots in goal for the Spartans.

NEWLA Women's Lacrosse Championship
Semifinals - Wednesday, May 5 at higher seeds
(1) Bridgewater State 16, (4) Fitchburg State 11
(3) Castleton 18, (2) Westfield State 17

Championship - Saturday, May 8 at Bridgewater St.
(1) Bridgewater State 21, (3) Castleton 9

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Bridgewater State Downs Fitchburg State, 16-11

Boxscore

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Junior midfielder Courtney Lennon (Medfield, MA) scored five goals and added an assist to lead the Bridgewater State College Bears to a 16-11 victory in the semifinal round of the 2010 New England Women's Lacrosse Alliance (NEWLA) Tournament.

The top seeded Bears, winners of ten straight games, improve to 14-4 with the tournament win. Bridgewater will advance to the conference championship game for the third straight season as they will play host to third-seeded Castleton State College on Saturday at 2. Castleton, which handed the Bears their only conference loss of the season, edged #2 Westfield State, 18-17, in the other semifinal matchup.

Senior midfielder Shannon Manning (Framingham, MA) added two goals and three assists for the Bears, while sophomore attack Kristin White (Pelham, MA) chipped in with three goals.

Bridgewater used the strength of six straight goals midway through the first half to take an 8-2 lead. The Bears would head into the intermission with a comfortable 13-5 advantage. BSC outshot the Falcons, 25-17, in the opening stanza and held an 11-8 edge in draw controls.

In the second half, Fitchburg limited the Bears to just three goals on ten shots, with Lennon scoring two of BSC's three goals in the final period. The Falcons pulled to within five goals twice (including the final score) but could not get any closer.

Both teams struggled mightily in free position attempts as they were a combined 3-for-18.

Junior attack Kaitlyn Kelley (Pepperell, MA) paced the Falcons (10-7) with five goals, while freshman attack Jamie Kelley (Pepperell, MA) added three goals and an assist.

Bridgewater State senior goaltender Meghan Griffin (Billerica, MA) turned aside 12 shots to register her 14th win of the season. Freshman netminder Abbie Brown (Westwood, MA) made nine saves between the pipes for the Falcons.

Castleton Holds On To Defeat Westfield State, 18-17 in NEWLA Semifinal

Boxscore

WESTFIELD, Mass. - Nicole Adams (Rutland, VT) scored six goals and Marie VanDerKar (Manchester, VT) tallied four goals as Castleton State held on for an 18-17 victory over Westfield State in a semifinal game of the New England Women’s Lacrosse Alliance (NEWLA) tournament.

Castleton, 13-5, advances to the NEWLA championship game where it will play the winner of the other semifinal between Fitchburg State and Bridgewater State. Westfield, Bridgewater and Castleton shared the NEWLA regular season championship with 6-1 records but the Owls (11-4) earned the right to host the Spartans in the semis with an identical 18-17 victory (overtime) on April 10.

Castleton led the entire game except for a 23-second span of the second half when Westfield rallied to take a 15-14 lead. The Spartans jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening 1:13 and took their biggest lead, 9-3, with 11:20 remaining in the first half following two consecutive goals by Adams.

Sparked by two goals from both Carly Keeley (Feeding Hills, MA) and Becca Kelley (Westfield, MA), the Owls went on a 6-1 run to close within a goal, 11-10, with 1:38 left in the first half. But Adams scored a key goal on a rebound of a free position shot with seven seconds remaining to give Castleton a 12-10 halftime advantage.

The Owls held tough defensively and they outscored the Spartans, 5-2, in the opening 18 minutes of the second half to take a 15-14 lead with 12:10 remaining in the game.

Junior standout Rachel Dionne (Feeding Hills, MA) scored a goal during the run and assisted on the tying and go ahead goals by senior Ally Brown (Andover, MA) and freshman Maura Stack (Wilbraham, MA).

Castleton responded well to the Westfield comeback, however, scoring four straight goals in a two-minute span for an 18-15 lead with 9:45 remaining. Adams had the tying and go ahead goals and VanDerKar scored on a beautiful breakaway after forcing an Owl turnover near midfield.

The Spartans went scoreless the final 9:45 as they held on for the big victory between the evenly matched teams. Dionne and Brown teamed up for a goal at the 6:03 mark and freshman Ari Colella (Franklin, MA) scored a superb unassisted goal with 4:44 remaining.

The Owls had two opportunities to tie the score in the closing minutes. Dionne took a close-range shot from the left side that was high at the 2:54 mark, and Colella rifled a shot on the ground that was saved by Castleton goalie Lily Derbyshire (Little Compton, RI) with 2:36 remaining.

Castleton then controlled the ball for more than two minutes until Westfield forced a too-late turnover with eight seconds remaining.

Adams scored a game-high seven points as she also dished out an assist. VanDerKar also registered an assist and Stephanie Pearce (Shoreham, NY) and Elizabeth Haggerty (Centerport, NY) both had three goals and an assist.

Westfield out-shot Castleton, 30-25, but the Owls lost the draw control battle, 22-14. Derbyshire finished with eight saves, including several big stops in both halves.

Kelley (4 goals, 2 assists) and Dionne (3 goals, 3 assists) led Westfield with six points apiece. Colella collected three goals and an assist and Stack scored three goals.

May 1, 2010

NEWLA Seeds Announced for Upcoming Tournament

Highlighting the extensive parity in the leauge, three teams finished tied atop the New England Women’s Lacrosse Alliance standings at 6-1 following regular season play. Using predetermined tiebreakers, Bridgewater State will be the top seed in the upcoming NEWLA Championship. The Bears (6-1 NEWLA, 13-4 overall) will host fourth seed Fitchburg State (4-3 NEWLA, 10-6 overall) in a semifinal game on Wednesday, May 5.

Westfield State (6-1 NEWLA, 11-3 overall) and Castleton (6-1 NEWLA, 12-5 overall), who both finished tied atop the league standings, will meet in the other semifinal.

The top four teams qualify for the NEWLA Championship. Semifinal games will be played on Wednesday, May 5 at the higher seed. Semifinal winners will meet Saturday, May 8 at the highest remaining seed. Game times are subject to change.

The winner of the NEWLA Championship game will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Championship

NEWLA Women's Lacrosse Championship
Semifinals - Wednesday, May 5 at higher seeds
(4) Fitchburg State at (1) Bridgewater State
(3) Castleton at (2) Westfield State

Championship - Saturday, May 8 at highest remaining seed
Semifinal Winners TBA

Past Champions

2009 - Bridgewater St.
2008 - Bridgewater St.
2007 - WNEC
2006 - WNEC
2005 - WNEC
2004 - WNEC
2003 - Bridgewater St.
2002 - WNEC
2001 - Bridgewater St.
2000 - Bridgewater St.
1999 - Bridgewater St.
1998 - Bridgewater St.