Fitchburg State Scores One At Elms, 18-5

Finamore tallies a game-high 11 points in Falcons first NEWLA victory

CHICOPEE, Mass. (March 20, 2012) – The Fitchburg State women's lacrosse team collected its first victory of the 2012 season, downing Elms College, 18-5 in New England Women's Lacrosse Alliance (NEWLA) action this evening.

The Falcons received a strong offensive output from senior Kelly Finamore (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) who finished with a game-high 11 points, posting five goals and six assists. Junior Jessica Bartlett (Marlborough, Mass./Marlborough) and freshman Lindsey White (Hanover, Mass./Hanover) both added three goals apiece, while Chelsea Roberts (Newburyport, Mass./Newburyport) added a trio of markers.

Fitchburg State exploded for 12 first half goals en route to its first NEWLA victory of the year. The Falcons opened an early 7-0 lead just 20 minutes into the contest using a Finamore hat-trick and a pair of goals from Bartlett to pace the attack. Elms got on the board at the 9:54 mark, but Fitchburg State closed the half with five consecutive goals, including unassisted markers from the Finamore/Bartlett duo to hold an 11 goal advantage at the break.

In the second half, Fitchburg State continued to cruise as Cassandra Benoit (N. Dartmouth, Mass./Dartmouth) opened the period with back-to-back scores. Elms ended its scoring drought with a goal from Emily Walsh (Hadley, Mass./Hopkins Academy) at the 26:01 mark, but the Falcons again answered with three more tallies to put the game to rest.

Fitchburg State dominated all contest, holding a commanding 35-16 advantage in shots and a 16-9 margin in draw controls. The Falcons collected 28 groundballs, including a game-high from senior Carissa Kennedy (Somerset, Mass./Bishop Stang). Sophomore Dylana Drolette (Burlington, Vt./Burlington) earned the victory with a complete game, seven save effort, while Rachel Schrutt (Chicopee, Mass./East Aurora) stopped 14 shots for the Blazers.

Fitchburg State (1-2, 1-0 NEWLA) will host Rivier College on Thursday at 4 p.m. Elms (0-3, 0-1 NEWLA) will travel to Regis College on Saturday at 12 p.m.