Box Score BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Eastern Connecticut State University women's lacrosse team shut out Bridgewater State University over the final 18 minutes but fell a goal shy in an 11-10 non-conference loss Tuesday afternoon at Swenson Field.
The loss is the fourth straight for Eastern (2-6) after six consecutive wins in this 19-game series with Bridgewater State (3-3) and marks the fourth one-goal decision (each team winning twice) in the last 11 matches in the series.
Eastern never led in the match and was able to put together as many as two unanswered goals only once before striking for the final four goals after trailing by five with 17:37 left. Junior Tess Mraz (Fairfield) scored the first two goals in the run and sophomore Caroline Regan (Niantic) added the final two – the four goals coming in a stretch of ten minutes – to pull Eastern to within one with just under three minutes left.
However, Bridgewater's Lauren Geary controlled the all-important ensuing draw control – her tenth of the game – and the Bears drew seven fouls by Eastern over the final minutes and maintained possession as the final horn sounded.
Sophomore Paige Schneider (East Lyme) took nearly half of Eastern's 24 shots, scoring four goals for the second straight match and giving her the team lead with 17 on the season. Eremita assisted four times, improving her team-high total to 19, and sophomore Devyne Doran (South Kingstown, RI) won four draws. Freshman goalie Taylor Emmerson (Colchester), never allowing the Bears to score as many as two consecutive goals over the final 24 minutes.
Geary helped Bridgewater to a 14-9 advantage in draw controls and also submitted two goals and two caused turnovers. Geary gave her team the lead for good with her team-leading 20th goal with 12 minutes left in the first half and Melissa Renauld and Brooke Buckner contributed two goals each during a 7-2 Bridgewater run over 18 minutes as the hosts moved out to a 9-4 lead six minutes into the second half.
Eastern opens its Little East Conference season Saturday at Rhode Island College at 1 p.m.
