SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – An eight-goal day for senior midfielder Emily Fowler (Branford, Conn.) paced the Springfield College women's lacrosse team to a 21-15 victory over Mount Holyoke College on Saturday afternoon at Stagg Field.
With the victory, the Pride improve to 7-6 on the year, and 4-1 in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC). With the loss, the Lyons fall to 7-6 overall, and 2-3 in conference play.
Sophomore Michelle Dorsey (Wilbraham, Mass.) posted five goals of her own, while senior Kelly Gallo (Westfield, Mass.) contributed five points to the victory, including three goals and two assists. Junior Emily Rodgers (Durham, N.H) tacked on four points, posting two goals and two helpers.
Springfield goalkeeper Anne Versprille (Franklin, Mass.) finished the contest with 15 saves, while her counterpart, Katherine Kayser-Hirsh (Amherst, Mass.) finished with five.
After a goal from Catherine Ryan (Longmeadow, Mass.) to open the scoring, Kelly Gallo (Westfield, Mass.) caught a feed from Emily Fowler (Branford, Conn.) and buried a shot past Kayser-Hirsh to even the score at one.
After goals from Julia Bell (Longmeadow, Mass.) and Ryan extended the Lyons' lead to two, Fowler netted her first of the day to bring the Pride to within one. Sophomore midfielder Michelle Dorsey (Wilbraham, Mass.) then converted a free-position shot to pull Springfield even at three.
Exchanging goals midway through the first half, Fowler scooped up a loose ball in the crease and fired a shot past Kayser-Hirsh to complete her hat trick and put the Pride up 5-4 with midway through the first half.
After Fowler netted her fourth goal of the day, MHC's Kirsten Kilburn (North Branford, Conn.) dodged down the middle of the field and stung a shot past Versprille to cut the Lyons' deficit to one.
Back-to-back goals from Colleen Keeley (Agawam, Mass.) and Dorsey gave the Pride an 8-5 advantage with just over eight minutes to play in the first half. Following another goal from Kilburn, Fowler tallied two more to extend the Pride's lead to 10-6.
Kilburn then converted a free-position shot past Versprille to pull the Lyons back to within three, but two more goals from Fowler and sophomore Connie Nielsen (Sayville, N.Y.) gave the Pride five-point cushion with 3:38 remaining in the first half.
Closing out the period, Fowler picked up her eighth strike of the contest, with Gallo following suit to give Springfield a 14-7 lead at the half.
Opening the second stanza, Rodgers converted a free-position shot to give the Pride a 15-7 advantage, until a pair of goals from Kilburn and Ryan brought the Lyons back to within seven. After another goal from Dorsey, Ryan and Bell put in two more for Mount Holyoke including a well-executed give-and-go to make it 16-11.
The Pride then went on three-goal run, receiving strikes from Heather Raniolo (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.), Dorsey, and Rodgers to put the Pride up 19-11 midway through the second half.
Following a free-position shot and goal from Bell, Dorsey notched her fifth goal of the day to give the Pride a 20-12 lead. After a pair of Mount Holyoke goals from Brianne Phelan (Quincy, Mass.) and Kilburn, Gallo caught a pass on the crease from Paige Campbell (Lakeville, Mass.) and found the back of the net to make it 21-14, Springfield.
Bell scored an unassisted goal with 1:38 remaining in the contest, but Springfield held on for the 21-15 victory.
Up next for Springfield, the Pride will be traveling to Norton, Mass. to take on the Wheaton Lyons in a crucial NEWMAC matchup. The game is set to begin at 7 p.m.
Story courtesy of Springfield Sports Information. Photo courtesy of RJB Sports Photography.
