Falcons Notch MASCAC Win on Senior Day

Fitchburg, Mass. – The Fitchburg State women's lacrosse team soared 23-11 over the Trailblazer of MCLA in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action this evening from Elliot Field.
In a pre-game ceremony, the Falcons honored senior Julia Miele (South Hadley, Mass.) for her contributions to the lacrosse program.

The Basics
Score: Fitchburg State 23, MCLA 11
Records: Fitchburg State (6-10, 1-5 MASCAC) | MCLA (1-9, 0-5 MASCAC)

How It Happened
The Falcons opened the first frame with a pair of goals from junior Eva Kozikowski (Portsmouth, NH) and classmate Cali Laakso (Fitchburg, Mass.). MCLA countered with a pair of goals from freshman Julia Graham (Chittenango, NY) to trail 3-2. Fitchburg State went on a 4-0 run with two goals from freshman Delaney Ponder (East Bridgewater, Mass.) and Kozikowski. MCLA finished the first quarter with three straight including a pair from senior Sara Tomkiewicz (Adams, Mass.) to trail 7-5.

Fitchburg State poured in eleven goals in the second quarter to forge ahead 18-7. After the teams traded goals the Green and Gold notched four straight capped by junior Brooke Johnson's (Billerica, Mass.) 25th goal of the season. Graham broke the streak for MCLA by tossing in her 17th of the year at 8:35. Laakso and Miele tipped the twine for two more apiece as the hosts added six more goals before intermission.

Newcomers Abaigeal Gilman (Clinton, Mass.) and Nicole Orlowski (Ellington, Conn.) scored goals in the third quarter to extend the Falcons' lead. Both teams added two goals in the fourth quarter, resulting in the 23-11 final.

Inside the Numbers

• 5th meeting between the two teams with the Falcons 5-0 vs the Trailblazers
• Miele and Kozikowski both finished with seven points (5 goals, 2 assists), while Gilman's stat line read 3 goals, 1 assist, 5 ground balls, 3 caused turnovers and a draw control
• Graham led MCLA with five goals and a helper
• Fitchburg State held the advantage in shots (46-23), draw controls (23-14), and ground balls (28-15)
• Freshman Alyson Cote (South Hadley, Mass.) had one save to notch her first collegiate victory
• Freshman Lori Lester (Methuen, Mass.) made 14 saves for MCLA in the loss
  
  Up Next
  Falcons will conclude the 2022 campaign on Friday night when they travel to Framingham State, game time is slated for 6:00 PM.