Women's Lacrosse Opens Home Schedule with 11-7 Win over Smith

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (March 4, 2023) – The Western New England women's lacrosse team collected their first season win on a snowy afternoon against the Smith College Pioneers for a final score of 11-7. Hannah Jarvis leading the way with three goals for the Golden Bears.

Records:

• Western New England: 1-1
• Smith College: 2-1

How it Happened: The game opened with missed shots for the Golden Bears who forced a lot of turnovers on Smith to maintain ball possession to get their first goal at 12:48 on a free position taken by Hannah Jarvis. Four minutes of no scoring then Smith put in a goal every couple of minutes to take a 3-1 lead, 5:03 left in the first quarter, two of them put in the net by Bella DeAngelo.

The Golden Bears came out hot in the second. Two goals in the first minute of play by Mia Celentano and Kylie Buchanan reaching the back of the net for the first time in the game. Samantha Vitka put one more in for WNE to be back on top 4-3. The Pioneers wasted no time tying up the score on Sadie Tschider's second goal. A man up opportunity gave the game lead back to the Golden Bears 30 seconds later. The last 10 minutes of the half went without a score as the two teams battled it out until the halftime. The Golden Bears held Smith to only one goal in the second quarter while picking up four, score 5-4. WNE had a total of 27 shots to the Pioneers nine. Goalie Faith Graveline had four first half saves while Brooke Testa had 15 total saves.

Vitka staying impressive in the draw control got the first one out the half. There was a free position that the Golden Bears saved that led them scoring the other way after five minutes off the clock. The Golden Bears yielded four goals in a row, Jarvis hitting the first, a free position for Celentano, a goal by Emmy Burns reaching the back of the net 40 seconds later, and the last one taken by Anabella Arias in a man up opportunity. WNE now had a 9-4 lead, and only let the Pioneers get one goal in the third while scoring another man up goal before the fourth, 10-5. The Golden Bears had five goals on only seven shots, Graveline picked up three more saves to the Pioneers none. In the final period of the game, Smith College picked up two more goals in the first half of the quarter. The Golden Bears had the final goal at 8:07 to seal the deal. WNE picked up their first season win against the Pioneers for a final score of 11-7.

Around the Edges:

• The Golden Bears goalkeeper Faith Graveline had 10 saves on 17 shots, playing the entirety of the game, collecting her first win of the season.
• Hannah Jarvis came away with three goals for six shots, five on goal, and had three ground balls.
• Kylie Buchanan and Mia Celentano both had two goals for WNE.
• Ally Hill and Emmy Burns collected four ground balls for the Golden Bears. 
• Sadie Tschider had three of the Owls 7 goals, and goalkeeper Brooke Testa had 16 saves on 27 shots. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears are back on the road Tuesday, March 7, where they will go head-to-head with the Keene State Owls.
• Smith College will be traveling to Williams College Sunday, March 5, for their next match-up.