Fitchburg State Withstands UMass Dartmouth, 10-7

Fitchburg State Withstands UMass Dartmouth, 10-7

Laferriere nets five points for Falcons in non-conference victory

DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Fitchburg State controlled possession time in the second half, holding off late efforts by UMass Dartmouth women's lacrosse to secure a 10-7 non-conference victory at Cressy Field Wednesday evening.

With the loss, UMass Dartmouth slips to 4-4 on the year upon dropping two straight. Fitchburg State rises to 6-4 and snaps a two-game skid.

The Corsairs were paced offensively by sophomore Raquel Riley's and senior Colleen Kane's two goals apiece, while Junior Catrina Longo and sophomore Leah Douty added one goal and one assist each.

For Fitchburg State, junior Ali Laferriere led all scorers on the evening with four goals and one assist, while classmate Andrea Comeau and sophomore Carrie Long added two scores each to the offensive push. With her two scores, Comeau eclipsed the 100 point milestone and currently has 101 career points.

Kane got on the board quick as she has in nearly every contest this season, potting the contest's first goal just over four minutes in on Longo's team-leading 12th assist. Fitchburg State then responded to seize a lasting lead, first taking advantage of back-to-back free position attempts as sophomore Jaimee Lutz and Long each scored within a minute of each other before Laferriere registered her first of the night, while Long put in another on a helper from Lutz to put the visitors up 4-1.

Riley broke the Falcons' scoring streak at 14:21, cutting the lead in half, before Laferriere scored again at 18:55 to make the score 5-3. Longo and Douty put the hosts within one on corresponding scores late in the half, but Laferriere struck for her third tally on the night as Fitchburg State carried a 6-4 margin into the break.

In the second half, UMass Dartmouth collected its first free position goal as Kane found the back of the net to cut the lead to 6-5. The Falcons shut the door immediately though, commanding the time of possession and rattling off four-straight goals including two from Comeau over the course of 16 minutes.

Without much time to spare, Riley and classmate Louisa Stansbury scored two quick goals before the 23-minute mark, but Fitchburg State was able to keep the ball on its end for the remaining time and seal victory.

In net for the Falcons, senior Liz Darrigo was solid, turning aside 12 Corsair shots including six in each period to record the win, while UMass Dartmouth freshman Kaitlyn Burchill (registered four saves in each half in the loss.

The Corsairs will look to rise above .500 again on Saturday as they play host to Little East Conference foe Southern Maine at 1 p.m. Fitchburg State is on the road again at MASCAC rival Westfield State at noon on the same day.

Portions of release courtesy of UMass Dartmouth SID office

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