Golden Bears Score Six Unanswered Goals to Earn 8-7 Comeback Victory at Bridgewater State

Phillips leads second half rally with four points

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (March 30, 2017) – The Western New England University women's lacrosse team overcame 7-2 second half deficit with six unanswered goals on its way to an 8-7 victory over Bridgewater State University on Thursday evening in non-conference action at Swenson Field.

Top Performers                                                                                                          
• Freshman Lindsey Phillips (East Longmeadow, Mass.) fueled the second half rally, tallying all four of her points (three goals, one assist) over the final 25 minutes of regulation.
• Junior Rachel Canning (Lincoln Park, N.J.) and sophomore Kristen Breen (Ellington, Conn.) also posted multi-point efforts, as Canning recorded two goals and Breen finished with one goal and one assist.
• Graduate midfielder Emma Norden (Belchertown, Mass.) chipped in with four ground balls, four caused turnovers and two draw controls.

• Senior Melissa Renauld (Framingham, Mass.) powered the Bridgewater State offense with three goals and two assists, while freshman Victoria McDonough (Marshfield, Mass.) added two points (one goal, one assist).

Game Review
• Bridgewater State opened up an early 2-0 lead on goals by McDonough (28:53) and Renauld (24:43).
• After freshman Madison Barron (Lebanon, Pa.) got the Golden Bears on the board at the 19:48 mark, Bridgewater State responded with a 4-0 run to open up a commanding 6-1 advantage with 4:42 left in the first half.
• Breen scored in the closing seconds of the half as Western New England pulled to within four (6-2) at the break.
• Junior Brooke Buckner (Foxboro, Mass.) restored the home team's five-goal lead just 46 seconds into the second half, but the Western New England defense would clamp down from there, shutting out Bridgewater State over the final 29:14.
• A pair of quick goals by Phillips at 24:57 and 24:06 cut Western New England's deficit to three (7-4), and Canning converted a free position shot at the 18:42 mark to make it a two-goal game.
• Phillips then set up classmate Eileen Ruby (New Fairfield, Conn.) with 17:03 to play, before netting the game-tying goal on a free position attempt with 11:45 on the clock.
• Canning completed the second half rally at the 8:01 mark, scoring her second goal of the night on an assist from Breen.
• Norden caused a pair of key turnovers down the stretch as the Golden Bears held on for the comeback victory.

Notes
• After being outshot 14-11 in the first half, Western New England held a 15-8 advantage in the second half.
• The Golden Bears held a slight edge in draw controls (8-7) and ground balls (14-12)
• Phillips has scored 3+ goals in four of nine games this season.

Up Next
Western New England (3-6) returns home to host the University of New England on Saturday, while Bridgewater State (4-5) hosts MCLA.