Falcons Fall 15-3 To Pioneers To Close Out Spring Trip

Kopacz registers five groundballs and two caused turnovers in non-conference setback 

Port Charlotte, Fla. – The Fitchburg State women's lacrosse team dropped a 15-4 decision to the Pioneers of Smith College in non-conference action at the Spring Fling in Port Charlotte, Fla to close out the Falcons annual spring trip.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 3, Smith 15

Records: Fitchburg State (1-3) | Smith (5-0)

How It Happened

Smith College opened the contest with a 3-0 advantage on two markers from sophomore Enily Briggs (Florence, Mass.) and one goal by senior Chloe Harris (Alexandria, Va.) before Fitchburg State cut the lead to 3-1 as junior Tracy Long (Georgetown, Mass.) connected on her fourth tally of the season.

The Pioneers would respond with junior Maddie Ryan (Scituate, Mass.), Harris, junior Bella Ferraro (Orange, Conn.), sophomore Kaitlin Chu (Palo Alto, Calif.) and senior Clelie Fielding (Francestown, N.H.) adding tallies for the 8-1 margin going into the break.

Following the intermission, junior Molly Cote (Lowell, Mass.) netted her first goal in the Green and Gold uniform to cut the lead to 8-2, but Smith answered back on a pair of scores from Fielding and one by Harris and Ferraro. Freshman Julia Miele (South Hadley, Mass.) connected on her team-leading sixth goal of the 2019 campaign for the Falcons (13-3) before the Pioneers capped the scoring as Fielding netted back-to-back markers, resulting in the 15-3 final.

Inside the Numbers

• Third meeting with the Falcons 1-2 vs the Pioneers
• Miele paced the Green and Gold with one goal, one assist, six groundballs and four draw controls
• Nicole Kopacz (Tewksbury, Mass.) chipped in with five groundballs and two caused turnovers
• Fielding led the way for the Pioneers with a game-best five goals, five groundballs, three draw controls and two caused turnovers
• Marguerite Belcher (Quincy, Mass.) made 17 saves for Fitchburg State in the setback
• Alyssa Schams (South Lyon, Mich.) stopped two shots for Smith in the victory

Up Next

Falcons return to action on Tuesday as they travel to Regis College to take on the Pride for a non-conference matchup, starting at 7:00 PM. Pioneers will visit Worcester State University on Wednesday for a non-conference tilt at 6:00 PM.