Stephanie Lenhardt led the Owls to a big win over Bridgewater State.
BRIDGEWATER – The Westfield State University women’s lacrosse team posted an 18-9 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) victory over host Bridgewater State University on Tuesday night at Swenson Field.
The Owls, who extend their winning streak to a program record eight games, improve to 8-4 on the season and 4-0 in the MASCAC. The Bears slip to 6-7 overall and 2-2 in conference play.
Senior attack Stephanie Lenhardt (Duxbury, Mass.) paced the visitors with five goals and an assist while junior attack Samantha Lungarini (Agawam, Mass.) added four goals and a helper. Junior attack Meg Griffin (Granby, Conn.) and freshman attack Brooke Williams (Wilbraham, Mass.) chipped in with three goals and an assist apiece.
Junior goaltender Mimi Khampaeng (Hampden, Mass.) was terrific between the pipes for the Owls as she made 13 saves including nine in the first half.
Junior midfielder Lauren Geary (Hull, Mass.) led the way for the Bears with four goals, while sophomore attack Melissa Renauld (Framingham, Mass.) notched two goals and an assist. Senior attack Riley Cachelin (Westwood, Mass.) added two goals for the hosts.
The game was tied 6-6 at the intermission following a back-and-forth first half. Geary and Renauld tallied two goals apiece for the Bears in the opening stanza, while Griffin paced the Owls with two goals and an assist.
The second half was a completely different story as Westfield dominated the final 30 minutes. The Owls tallied the first 11 goals of the period and held the Bears scoreless for nearly 21 minutes. Lenhardt, Lungarini and Williams all potted three goals during the 11-0 surge.
Shots were even at 27 apiece, while Bridgewater held the edge in draw controls (16-12) and ground balls (16-11). Westfield connected on 5 of 6 free position attempts, while the Bears converted just 2 of 7.
Both teams host non-conference games on Thursday night at seven. The Bears take on Roger Williams University, while the Owls face-off against Western Connecticut State University. – Story courtesy BSU sports info
