Lacrosse Dropped by WNEC in Opener, 22-13

Game Statistics

SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (March 6, 2010) – Using a balanced scoring attack, the Western New England College women’s lacrosse team picked up a 22-13 victory over non-conference foe Mount Holyoke College this afternoon at the Mount Holyoke Turf Field. Nine players found the net for the Golden Bears, who picked up their first win of the season and their fourth straight over the Lyons. Mount Holyoke was making its 2010 debut.

The offensive outburst was highlighted by senior midfielder Lindsey Fenton, who racked up six points on four goals and a pair of assists. Sophomore attacker Katie Toomy found the net five times, and senior attacker Jackie Gannon added four goals. Western New England finished with advantages in both shots (37-33) and ground balls (13-11).

Mount Holyoke fell despite a 23-14 edge in draw controls. The Lyons were paced by junior attacker Clara Raugei, who collected four goals and one assist. Sophomore midfielder Hilary Bombard, senior attacker Peggy Wefald and junior midfielder Georgia Markell chipped in with two goals apiece. Bombard also added a helper.

After falling behind 5-0 in the early going, the Golden Bears exploded for a 12-1 run over the final 22:38 of the opening frame to build a 12-6 halftime advantage. Fenton and Toomy sparked the rally with three goals apiece. Western New England extended its cushion to 14-6 on a pair of goals by Gannon in the first three minutes of the second stanza.

Refusing to go away, Mount Holyoke reeled off six straight goals over a span of 4:23 to slice the deficit to 14-12. From there, it was all Western New England. The Golden Bears outscored the Lyons 8-1 over the final 21:46 to seal things.

Junior goalkeeper Marissa Bonitaibus turned away 11 shots en route to her first win of the year for Western New England. Meanwhile, sophomore Jeanmarie Petersen made three saves for the hosts.

Mount Holyoke (0-1, 0-0 NEWMAC) will return to action on Thursday, when it hosts Westfield State College at 4:30 p.m. Western New England (1-2, 0-0 TCCC) is slated to entertain Smith College on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m.