Fitchburg State Races Past Rivier, 21-13

Finamore and Bartlett combine for 21 points in Falcons victory

FITCHBURG, Mass. (March 22, 2012) – Senior Kelly Finamore (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) and junior Jessica Bartlett (Marlborough, Mass./Marlborough) combined for 21 points as Fitchburg State downed Rivier College, 21-13 in non-conference women's lacrosse action this afternoon.

Finamore led all scorers, touching for 12 points with eight goals and four assists, while Bartlett added nine points on the afternoon with six tallies and three helpers. Freshman Lindsey White (Hanover, Mass./Hanover) was also solid with three markers and three dishes, while junior Cassandra Benoit (N. Dartmouth, Mass./Dartmouth) chipped in with a pair of scores.

Rivier received a strong offensive effort from sophomore Rebecca Wickens (Tyngsboro, Mass./Tyngsboro) who finished with a team-high five points on four goals and one assist, while classmate Jessica Amaral (E. Providence, R.I./E. Providence) added four goals to the mix.

Fitchburg State jumped out to a seven goal advantage after one half of play, breaking opening a 3-3 contest with an 8-1 scoring surge over the final 20 minutes of the first stanza. Finamore led the Falcons rally with four consecutive goals in the final ten minutes of the period, while Bartlett added a trio of markers throughout the frame.

In the second half, the Falcons continued their offensive pursuit, claiming a ten goal lead less than five minutes into the period. Rivier inched closer with back-to-back scores from Amaral and Lauren Brett (Otisfield, Maine/Oxford Hills) to bring the score to 15-8 but Fitchburg State closed the door, scoring six more times to earn its second victory of the season.

For the contest, Fitchburg State out-shot Rivier 33-20, while also earning a 19-15 advantage in draw controls. Senior Carissa Kennedy (Somerset, Mass./Bishop Stang) paced the Falcons on the draw, collecting nine DC's for the game, while Bartlett added five of her own. In net, sophomore Dylana Drolette (Burlington, Vt./Burlington) stopped four shots en route to her complete game victory, while counterpart Caleigh Bertolaccini (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford) finished eight for the Raiders.

Fitchburg State (2-2, 1-0 NEWLA) will be in action again on Tuesday as it hosts Plymouth State University at 4 p.m. Rivier (0-2, 0-1 GNAC) will host Emerson College on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.