Fitchburg State Doubles Up Worcester State, 20-10

Finamore nets 100th career marker in Falcons NEWLA victory

FITCHBURG, Mass. (April 5, 2012) – Senior Kelly Finamore (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) scored seven goals – including her 100th career tally –  as she helped the Fitchburg State women's lacrosse team defeat Worcester State, 20-10, in NEWLA action this afternoon.

The Falcons were also paced by junior Jessica Bartlett (Marlborough, Mass./Marlborough) who also had seven markers while sophomore Chelsea Roberts (Newburyport, Mass./Newburyport) and freshman Lindsey White (Hanover, Mass./Hanover) had five goals combined.  White also chipped in with four helpers for the visitors while Finamore added two.

Fourth-year Carissa Kennedy (Somerset, Mass./Bishop Stang) and junior Kayla Melville (Merrimac, Mass./) both had five ground balls for Fitchburg State as Kennedy was a presence on the defensive side of the ball tying a career-high with six caused turnovers.  Bartlett, Kennedy and second-year Markie Apple (Pittsfield, Mass./Taconic) each had three draw controls apiece. 

The Lancers (0-6, 0-2 NEWLA) received a strong performance from sophomore Vicki O'Brien (Canton, MA) who tallied a hat-trick while freshman Michelle Tully (Tewksbury, MA) had two markers.  Junior Daryl Powell (Beverly, MA) and sophomore Jaclyn Lawlor (Westford, MA) both had a goal and an assist.

The two squads went back and forth by trading goals as the score was knotted 5-5 at the 17:26 mark. Neither team had more than a one goal edge during the 13 minute run, but Fitchburg State was able to end the first half strong, closing with a 5-0 run to head into intermission with a 10-5 advantage. Roberts scored all three of her goals during the Falcon rally. 

The Falcons increased their margin over the first 18 minutes of the second stanza, using a pair of extra-man advantage goals to post a 16-7 lead. Bartlett and Finamore combined for four to spark the Falcons 6-2 surge. Over the final 12 minutes, Fitchburg State outscored Worcester State, 4-3, securing its second NEWLA victory of the year.

Sophomore goalkeeper Dylana Drolette (Burlington, Vt./Burlington) picked up the win as she made eight stops for the Falcons, while senior Haley Erickson (Saugus, MA) and junior Alex Chisholm (N. Brookfield, MA) combined to make 15 saves for the hosts. 

For the contest, Fitchburg State held a 41-21 lead in shots (22-12 – 2nd half) as well as the edge in both groundballs (33-25) and draw controls (18-14).

Fitchburg State (4-5, 2-1 NEWLA)  will be back in action on Saturday as it travels to Salem State University at 4 p.m. Worcester State (0-6, 0-2 NEWLA) will host Framingham State on Saturday at 4 p.m.