Westfield State Slips Past Fitchburg State, 16-15

Bartlett leads Falcons with eight goals in tough NEWLA loss

FITCHBURG, Mass. (April 14, 2012) – Junior Jessica Bartlett (Marlborough, Mass./Marlborough) collected a game-high eight goals to pace Fitchburg State, but the Falcons fell to visiting Westfield State University, 16-15 in New England Women's Lacrosse Alliance action this afternoon at Elliot Field.

With the score knotted at 15-15 and just 0:21 remaining in regulation, Westfield State won its 18th draw control of the afternoon and connected for the game-winning score with just 0:11 left on the clock. Junior Sadie Graham (North Andover, Mass./North Andover) netted the game-winning tally, her fifth of the season, while senior Carly Keeley (Feeding Hills, Mass./Agawam) secured the Owl victory with the ensuring draw control.

The first half witnessed a scoring explosion with both teams combining for 17 goals in the frame. Fitchburg State got on the scoreboard first as Bartlett found the back of the net just 2:11 into the game, but Westfield State rifled off three consecutive markers to post a 3-1 lead by the 26:19 mark. Keeley collected the Owls first goal of the contest, before junior Maura Stack (Wilbraham, Mass./Minnechaug) and senior Nicole DiPilato (Shrewsbury, Mass./Shrewsbury) added back-to-back markers for Westfield's early two goal advantage.

The Owls continued their hot shooting over the next six minutes, extending their lead to 6-2 behind goals from Amanda Bouchard (Lexington, Mass./Lexington), Keeley and Stack, but the Falcons answered back with three Bartlett goals to only trail by two (7-5) with 11:54 remaining in the period. Westfield State closed the period with three more goals, but scores from Lindsey White (Hanover, Mass./Hanover) and Kristin Dooley (Salem, Mass./Salem) kept Fitchburg State within striking distance (10-7).

In the second half, both teams' defenses became stingy, keeping the scoring at minimum until the final five minutes of the stanza. Fitchburg State unleashed a 5-1 scoring run to pick up its first lead since the 27:49 mark of the first half, using goals from Bartlett (2), White and Finamore (2) to post a 12-11 advantage. From there on out, neither team gained more than a one point advantage with Westfield State having the final say after Graham's marker.

 Fitchburg State held a 30-26 margin in shots for the contest, but Westfield State controlled both the groundballs and draw controls with 12-11 and 19-14 advantages respectively. In net, sophomore Dylana Drolette (Burlington, Vt./Burlington) was strong for the Falcons, stopping six shots over 60 minutes of work, while freshman Hannah Joyce (Acton, Mass./Acton-Boxborough) stopped ten shots for the Owls.

Bartlett led all scorers with a game-high eight points, while Finamore added five points to mix with a pair of scores and three dishes. With her two goals on the afternoon, Finamore moved herself into second all-time (108) on the Falcons all-time goals scored list, surpassing the previous mark of Emily Swan.

Fitchburg State (5-7, 2-1 NEWLA) will be back in action on Tuesday as it hosts Nichols at 7 p.m. Westfield State (6-5, 5-0 NEWLA) will visit Becker College on Tuesday at 4 p.m.