Women's Lacrosse Drops OT Heartbreaker to WestConn

WORCESTER, Mass. - The Worcester State University women's lacrosse team suffered a heartbreaking 15-14 overtime loss to Western Connecticut State University Sunday afternoon in non-conference action at John F. Coughlin Field.

With the loss, the Lancers fall to 2-2 overall on the season. Western Connecticut improves to 4-1.

The game was dedicated to Yeardley Love, a lacrosse player at the University of Virginia who was killed by her boyfriend in 2010. Donations were collected at the game for the One Love Foundation, an organization started by her family to help prevent relationship violence. Players from both teams, as well as fans, walked a lap around the track at halftime to help promote the One Love Foundation as part of its "Yards for Yeardley" initiative. In total, the teams and spectators walked 33,600 yards.

The teams traded streaks in the first half, with the Colonials scoring the game's first three goals. Junior Brooke Baldelli opened the scoring with a pair of goals in the opening five minutes of the contest, before sophomore Caroline Galligan scored on a free position shot to extend the lead to three. 

Worcester State would respond with a flurry however, scoring five goals in just 3:17 of action to take all the game's momentum. Freshman Madison Brennan (Pomfret, Conn.) scored three of Worcester's five goals on the run, with sophomores Kylie Hill (Lunenburg, Mass.) and Coley Hayes (Norwood, Mass.) adding the others on free position shots.

Western Connecticut recoved to close out the first half, scoring four straight goals in the final 10 minutes of the frame to take a 7-5 lead into the half.

The Colonials opened the scoring in the second half, but goals from Hayes, Brennan, and sophomore Taylor Dube (Milford, Mass.) quickly evened the score back up at 8-8 4:51 into the half.

The teams traded goals for the rest of the second half, with neither team able to grab a decided territorial advantage. With the Lancers trailing 14-13 with under a minute to go, Brennan netted her fifth goal of the game off an assist from Kelly Austin (Brimfield, Mass.) to send the game to overtime.

Under a minute into the overtime session, Austin tallied what appeared to the game-winning goal, but it was disallowed after the officials could not identify which stick had been used to score the goal. On the resulting possession, Baldelli scored to give the Colonials the victory.

Sophomore Chloe O'Brien (Sturbridge, Mass.) took the loss in net, making nine saves in the contest. Jennifer Sawicki got the win with 13 saves. Brennan led all players with five goals in the game, while Baldelli led the Colonials with four goals and an assist. For Worcester State, Austin, Dube, Hayes, and freshman Ann Maher (Mansfield, Mass.) all added a pair of goals in the defeat.

The Lancers will look to return to the win column on Tuesday evening with a road trip to Curry College. The contest is slated to get underway at 4 p.m.

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