Wheaton Downs Fitchburg State, 18-4

Drolette stops 12 shots in Falcons non-conference loss to Lyons

FITCHBURG, Mass. (April 3, 2012) – The Fitchburg State women's lacrosse team battled NEWMAC powerhouse Wheaton College, falling to the Lyons 18-4 in non-conference action this evening.

The Lyons received a strong offensive effort from senior Hailey Colburn (Concord, N.H./Concord) who finished with a game-high nine points on five goals and four assists. Sophomore Charlotte DeSantis (Danen, Conn./Cushing Academy) added four goals to pace the Wheaton attack, while junior Kristen Palmer (East Dorset, Vt./Burr and Burton) chipped in with four points, totaling three markers and one helper.

Fitchburg State used a balanced attack as four different players registered tallies on the evening. Freshman Amber Nunes (New Bedford, Mass./New Bedford) put home a first period marker to spark the Falcons, while junior Cassandra Benoit (N. Dartmouth, Mass./Dartmouth), sophomore Markie Apple (Pittsfield, Mass./Taconic) and freshman Lindsay White (Hanover, Mass./Hanover) all notched second half markers.

The Lyons grabbed a six goal lead at the end of the first period, using a pair of goals from both DeSantis and Melanie Sharick (Amherst, Mass./Amherst) for their 7-1 advantage. Wheaton dominated play, out-shooting the Falcons 16-6 in the frame, while holding a 7-2 edge on the draw control.

In the second half, Wheaton increased its tempo before giving away to a possession style offense as the Lyons rifled off 20 shots for 11 goals in the stanza. Colburn turned up the heat, with four goals in the period, while DeSantis closed the game with back-to-back scores. Five other Lyons hit home in the period, but Fitchburg State did not go quietly, touching for three goals on four shots.

Wheaton controlled the game's tempo with a commanding 36-10 advantage in targets and 17-10 margin in draw controls, but Fitchburg State battled on the ground with both teams picking up 18 groundballs throughout the contest. Sophomore Dylana Drolette (Burlington, Vt./Burlington) suffered the loss for the Falcons, despite a 12 save effort, while freshman Katy Ananian (Belmont, Mass./Belmont) picked up the win for the Lyons with four stops over 38 minutes of work.

Fitchburg State (3-5, 1-1 NEWLA) will be back in action on Thursday as it travels to Worcester State University at 4 p.m. Wheaton (7-3, 1-1 NEWMAC) will visit Gordon College on Thursday at 7 p.m.