Falcons Defeated By Owls, 13-3

Belcher stops six shots for Fitchburg State in MASCAC setback 

Westfield, Mass. – The Fitchburg State University women's lacrosse team opened conference play this afternoon, dropping a tough 13-3 decision to the Owls of Westfield State University at Alumni Stadium.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 3, Westfield State 13

Records: Fitchburg State (5-2, 0-1 MASCAC) | Westfield State (8-0, 1-0 MASCAC)

How It Happened

Senior Brooke Williams (Wilbraham, Mass,) got the Owls on board with 25:19 to play in the opening period with an assist from senior Samantha Coyle (Weymouth, Mass.) to lead 1-0.

Fitchburg State responded minutes later as junior Anna Gagnon-Burch (Putney, Vt.) connected on her eighth tally of the season at 19:56 to tie the game at 1-1 before Westfield State ended the first half on a 6-0 run, capped by a marker from Coyle to make the score 7-1 at the break.

Following the break, the Owls extended it margin (13-1) with junior Alexa Tonelli (Shrewsbury, Mass.) concluding the scoring for the hosts. The Falcons cut into the deficit later in the frame as sophomore Tracy Long (Georgetown, Mass.) and classmate Sarah Napolitano (Peabody, Mass.) collecting back-to-back scores, resulting in the 13-3 final.

Inside the Numbers,

Tenth meeting between the two teams on the lacrosse field with the Falcons currently 2-8-0 all-time when taking on the Owls.

Two teams had spilt the previous two contests with Westfield State coming away with a 13-7 victory in the last matchup on April 2, 2017 at Alumni Field.

Gagnon-Burch led the way for the Green and Gold with two points on one goal and one assist as well as one groundball, while senior Carrie Long (Foxboro, Mass.) added three ground balls, two caused turnovers and one draw control.

For the Owls, Coyle finished with six points on three goals and three assists to go along with one draw control, while Tonelli chipped in with two goals and one groundball.

In goal, junior Marguerite Belcher (Quincy, Mass.) turned aside six shots for Fitchburg State in the complete game effort, while junior Maria Woodall (Norfolk, Mass.) made 15 saves in 65:25 minutes of action for Westfield State.

Up Next

Falcons will travel to UMass Dartmouth on Wednesday to take on the Corsairs for a contest starting at 7:00 PM. Owls will host the Pride of Springfield College on the same day at 7:00 PM.

Portions of release courtesy of WSU SID office