Women's Lacrosse Posts 9-8 Comeback Win Over Eastern Connecticut

Worcester, MA --- Junior Kaila Chase (Northbridge, MA) registered two goals – including the game-winning tally with 2:12 left – and classmate Jackie Connors (Ashland, MA) added three assists to help pace Worcester State to a 9-8 win over Eastern Connecticut in non-conference women's lacrosse action this afternoon at Coughlin Field.

In the triumph, the Lancers move to 2-0 overall while the Warriors slip to 1-3 on the young season in the setback.

Offensively, sophomore Angelina Sutherland (Tyngsboro, MA) chipped in with two goals while Connors ended the game with match highs of seven ground balls, five draw controls and two forced miscues to lead the defense. Junior Katelyn Murphy (Billerica, MA) and Chase also tallied three ground balls apiece.

For Eastern Connecticut, sophomore Paige Schneider (E. Lyme, CT) registered a hat-trick to go along with three ground balls as freshman Maddie Bodington (Stratford, CT) ended the contest picking up a trio of ground balls and three draws.

Trailing 8-5 at the 11:03 mark of the second half, the Blue and Gold rallied with four unanswered goals to earn the come-from-behind victory.

The hosts started the final surge when Connors won the ensuing draw and she fed the ball to senior Molly Kilday (Westford, MA), who finished and made the score a two possession game, just eight seconds later.

Worcester State then forced an Eastern Connecticut miscue – with Sutherland earning an interception on the near side 10-yard line – before Connnors hit home an eight-meter shot for the 8-7 contest with 6:15 left in regulation.

The Warriors won the draw and had a chance to answer, but the Lancers caused another turnover on the defensive side of the field. A loose ball wandered toward the home restraining line and as junior Amanda Pruyn (Tyngsboro, MA) tried to make a play, she was checked and possession was awarded to the home team.

After passing the ball to Kilday, Pruyn darted unopposed down the sideline and netted the equalizer to make the score 8-8 with 2:28 ticks remaining in the contest.

The momentum continued to go in the Lancers favor when Connors earned the draw. She then took the ball, moved behind the net and dished it to an open Chase on the left side of the crease, who finished her 100th career marker, for the match clincher.

Worcester State sealed up the victory by running out the clock after another successful winning draw by Connors.

The score was tied up 3-3 at the intermission as Sutherland scored twice for the Blue and Gold while junior Tess Mraz (Fairfield, CT) and senior Meg Eremita (S. Windsor, CT) both had one goal and one helper each for the Warriors at the break.

Sophomore Alaina Martin (E. Longmeadow, MA) potted the first goal of the second period to give the Lancers an early one-goal advantage, but the Warriors eventually sized control of the contest with a 5-1 run over a 16 minute span.

Schneider was instrumental in the outburst as she netted a pair of markers while sophomore Amanda Will (Wantagh, NY) and Bodington both notched tallies to help the visitors take over an 8-5 edge with 11:03 remaining in regulation.

Sophomore Lea Robichaud (Holden, MA) upped her record to 2-0 with six stops while sophomore Taylor Emmerson (Colchester, CT) turned aside 13 shots in the loss for ECSU. Emmerson fell to 1-3 in the defeat.

The Lancers led in shots (32-17), ground balls (24-22) and draws (10-9) while going 17-for-20 on clears, which included a perfect 9-for-9 performance in the second period.

Worcester State continues their schedule with an 11 AM home meeting against Colby Sawyer on Saturday while Eastern Connecticut heads to MIT for a 5:30 matchup on the road this Wednesday.