Fitchburg State Rolls Past Elms, 19-4

Falcons collect first NEWLA victory behind Burns' eight points

FITCHBURG, Mass. (April 6, 2011) – The Fitchburg State women's lacrosse team earned its first league victory, defeating the Blazers of Elms College, 19-4 in New England Women's Lacrosse Alliance (NEWLA) action this evening.

Junior Amanda Burns (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) paced the Falcons offensively, scoring  a team-high eight points with five goals and three assists. Sophomore Samantha Bonasera (Chelsea, Vt./Chelsea) also chipped in on the offensive front with four goals in the match, while senior Connie Perry (Reading, Mass./Reading Memorial) added five points with two scores and three dishes. Junior Kelly Finamore (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) was also strong, turning in four points with three scores and one helper.

Fitchburg State cruised to its first conference win of the season, using a 17 goal first half for a 16 point advantage at the break. In the process of their scoring surge, the Falcons came within seconds of breaking the NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse fastest consecutive goal mark (0:04), notching back-to-back markers, twice, in span of six seconds. Bonasera and Perry connected on the first set just 2:57 into the game, while Finamore and Kennedy notched another pair at the nine minute mark of the frame.

After a commanding first half, Fitchburg State sank into its possession style offense for the second period, posting only two goals to open the frame. Elms mustered three consecutive goals in the closing minutes as Catherine Duquette (Naples, Maine/Lake Region) and Chelsey Grabowski (South Hadley, Mass./South Hadley) (2) hit home for the Blazers, but Fitchburg State ran out the clock to take home its fifth victory of the season.

Freshman Dylana Drolette (Burlington, Vt./Burlington) earned the victory in net for Fitchburg State as she was not tested in the first half, while sophomore Sammi Gorman (Malta, N.Y./) closed the contest for the Falcons with three stops in the second stanza. Junior Marcia Norat (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) made her collegiate debut in net for the Blazers, suffering the loss with seven saves over the complete game effort.

Fitchburg State used a 33-9 advantage in shots and 17-4 margin in groundballs to control the tempo of the contest, while the Falcons also grabbed 20 of a possible 25 draw controls. Kennedy and Burns led Fitchburg State with five DC's apiece, while freshman Brianna Lyons (Canton, Mass./Canton) snagged four for the Blazers.

Fitchburg State (5-1, 1-1 NEWLA) will be back in action on Saturday as it travels to Westfield State at 5 p.m. Elms (2-7, 0-3 NEWELA) will host Framingham State on Saturday at 4 p.m.