Fitchburg State Rallies Past Plymouth State, 8-7

Burns sparks first program victory over Panthers with a game-high five points

FITCHBURG, Mass. (March 29, 2011) – Senior Amanda Burns (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) registered a game-high five points to lead the Fitchburg State women's lacrosse team to an 8-7 victory over Plymouth State University this afternoon.

The victory marks the Falcons first program victory over the Panthers as Fitchburg State improved to 3-0 on the young season (0-0 NEWLA). With the loss, Plymouth State drops to 2-1 on the year with a 0-0 mark in the Little East Conference.

Trailing by one with just over ten minutes remaining in the contest, Fitchburg State struck for three unanswered goals to post an 8-6 advantage with just 1:03 on the clock. Junior Carissa Kennedy (Somerset, Mass./Bishop Stang) ignited the Falcon comeback with a free position marker to knot the score at 6-6, before classmate Kelly Finamore (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) and sophomore Cassandra Benoit (N. Dartmouth, Mass./Dartmouth) notched back-to-back scores with the man advantage for an 8-6 lead.

Plymouth State battled down to the wire, scoring with 0:28 remaining in the game on a Jenn Foley (Tewksbury, Mass./Tewksbury) goal, but Fitchburg State won the ensuing draw control to secure its third victory of the season.

Burns was strong offensively for Fitchburg State, posting a game-best five points with four goals and one assist, while senior Connie Perry (Reading, Mass./Reading Memorial) added one tally, three ground balls and one draw control.  Foley and sophomore Caitlin Swanson (Holderness, N.H./Plymouth Regional) paced the Panthers with three goals apiece, while freshman Emily Buckle (Danbury, Conn./Danbury) added three points with one goal and two assists.

Fitchburg State controlled much of the offensive tempo, holding a 26-9 advantage in shots, but Plymouth State goaltender Lorin Field (Hollis, N.H./Hollis-Brookline) was strong between the pipes, turning away 12 shots on the afternoon. Freshman goalie Dylana Drolette (Burlington, Vt./Burlington) improved to 3-0 on the season for the Falcons, posting one save in the complete game effort. 

Fitchburg State (3-0, 0-0 NEWLA) will be back in action on Thursday as it travels to Nichols College at 7 p.m. Plymouth State (2-1, 0-0 LEC) will visit Springfield College on Thursday at 6 p.m.