Box Score MANSFIELD, Conn. – The Westfield State University women's lacrosse team followed a slow start with a fast finish and posted its sixth consecutive victory, 14-9, over Eastern Connecticut State University Tuesday afternoon at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex.
Westfield (6-4) couldn't solve the Eastern (3-8) defense in the first half, but put it together in the second to defeat the Warriors for the third time in this three-game series. After scoring the first four goals of the match and moving out to a 7-3 lead five minutes into the second half, Eastern managed just a pair of goals the rest of the way. Westfield outscored Eastern 8-1 over the final 17 minutes.
Averaging nearly five goals a game though the first nine, Westfield junior attack Meg Griffin was held scoreless until the final eight minutes, when she scored twice -- both coming on free position attempts that kept her team in front. To that point, however, Griffin settled for setting up her teammates by picking up five of her team's eight assists.
Eastern led by two before the visitors countered with six consecutive goals that vaulted them into a 12-8 lead with 7:38 left. The Warriors went cold after freshman attack Katie Burke's (South Windsor) fourth goal of the year made it 8-6 with 20 minutes left until sophomore midfielder Paige Schneider (East Lyme) scored her team-leading 26th goal of the year with just under six minutes left. The Warriors were still facing a three-goal deficit at that point, however, and goals by Griffin and sophomore midfielder Caroline Smart in the final two minutes made sure that Eastern would not come back.
After the Warriors assumed an 8-6 lead, Westfield won six of the next eight draws to take over the game's momentum.
Junior midfielder Blair Smith of Westfield led players on both teams with four goals and Griffin won five draws. Eastern featured only three multiple-goal scorers: Schneider with three, junior attack Tess Mraz (Fairfield) and sophomore attack Bianca Jacques (Berlin) with two each. Sophomore midfielder Maggie Bodington (Stratford) won four draws for the Warriors and Schneider and Jacques each claimed four ground balls.
Junior Mimi Khampaeng stopped 12 shots for the Owls, seven coming in the first half when Westfield trailed by two at the break. Eastern sophomore Taylor Emmerson (Colchester) made 11 saves.
Eastern visits 2014 Little East Conference playoff champion Plymouth State University Saturday at noon at the New Hampton School in New Hampton, NH.
