Golden Bears Fall in Season Opener at Westfield State

WESTFIELD, Mass. (March 3, 2023) – The Western New England women's lacrosse team dropped their season opener on the road against Westfield State University, falling in non-conference play to the Owls 18-12.  

Records:

• Western New England: 0-1
• Westfield State University: 1-0

How it Happened: The Golden Bears pick up the first goal of the game in the first minute after Kylie Buchanan found the back of the net. It didn't take long for the Westfield State Owls to even it up, and right out the draw control, Ally Ferraro got WNE on top 2-1 with quick action in the first quarter. The Owls tie it up off a free position shot where Emma Cretella took it, and less than a minute later a free position shot for the Golden Bears, taken by Madisyn Crotta, gave the Golden Bears a 3-2 lead. Again, Westfield evened up the score. Halfway through the first, Hannah Jarvis and Samantha Vitka got back-to-back goals for WNE to give them a 5-3 advantage. Late in the quarter a turnover led to an Owls goal, but Vitka hit the back of the net in the last 30 seconds of the first for the Golden Bears to lead 6-4.

The Owls scored six of the eight goals of the second quarter. They put in a goal out of the first draw control. Jarvis shot it in the next play to keep the Golden bears in the lead. The final six minutes of the second quarter is where the Owls dominated. They made a goal in a man up opportunity, picked up two more goals, the last one a free position, and gaining their first game lead 8-7. Liz Mazza got WNE back even with Westfield until two more goals for the Owls where Natalie DeMario and Megan Bailey found the back of the net for the first time this night to lead off 10-8. After two quarters the Golden Bears had 17 shots, same as Westfield. Faith Graveline had four saves while Kara Banagan came away with three, with four total for the Owls for in the first half.

In the second half of play, the game became a battle with the first goal not being hit until 4:39 into the third quarter by the Owls. The golden Bears only had one goal in the third and it was answered by one from Westfield who still led 12-9. After another slow start in the fourth, WS got a free position goal and a goal within 20 seconds of each other building on a score gap. The Owls picked up a yellow card giving WNE a man-up chance that they took advantage off and got the ball in the net, trailing 12-10. A yellow card for the Golden Bears gave the goal right back to the Owls in the same situation who scored two extra 17-10, 6:53 to go in the game. Jarvis put it in the net two more times for Golden Bears, but it ultimately wasn't enough, and they lost to the Owls 18-12.

Around the Edges:

• The Golden Bears goalkeeper Faith Graveline had eight saves on 26 shots, playing the entirety of the game, collecting her first loss of the season.
• Hannah Jarvis came away with five goals for 12 shots, nine on goal, and had one ground ball.
• Ally Hill collected three ground balls for the Golden Bears. 
• Emma Cretella came away with six of the Owls 18 goals, and their two goalkeepers combined for 11 saves. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears will have their home opener Saturday, March 4, at 3 p.m. against the Smith College Pioneers.
• Westfield State will be on the road for their next match-up. They will face the Keene St. Owls Thursday, March 9, at 4 p.m.