Salem State Ends Season With 12-4 Loss to Fitchburg State

FITCHBURG, Mass. – The third seeded Fitchburg State women's lacrosse team defeated sixth seeded Salem State University, 12-4 in quarterfinal round action of the 2016 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) women's lacrosse tournament this evening at Elliot Field.

Salem State opened the scoring as junior Carolyn Woodin found the back of the net for her 20th marker on the season before the Falcons responded with a pair of tallies from junior Ali Laferriere and classmate Andrea Comeau for the 2-1 advantage.

The Vikings knotted the score at 2-2 when sophomore Courtney Smith notched her team-leading 40th
goal on the year but the Green and Gold closed out the half, scoring the next three goals on scores by Laferriere, senior Brianna Dunn and sophomore Jaimee Lutz to make the score 5-2 going into the intermission.

Following the break, the two teams traded scores as Laferriere struck for her third marker of the contest for the Falcons, while senior Amanda Nihan scored for Salem State (7-3). Fitchburg State proceeded to go on a 6-0 run over the next eight minutes with Laferriere scoring a pair, while Comeau, Lutz, junior Kayla Panek and sophomore Corinne DeSimone all added one each for the Falcons before newcomer Bridget Lawless capped the scoring for the Vikings with her eighth tally of the 2016 campaign, resulting in the 12-4 final.

Laferriere paced the Falcons offense, registering a game-best six points on five markers and one helper as well as two draw controls, while Dunn and Comeau combined for six points on three goals and three assists to go along with five ground balls and two caused turnovers.

For Salem State, Nihan posted one point on one goal with six ground balls and one caused turnover, while Woodin, Smith and Lawless added one score each for the Vikings.

Throughout the contest, Fitchburg State held a 29-23 advantage in shots, while also holding a 38-30 margin in ground balls. In between the net, senior Liz Darrigo stopped nine shots for the Falcons in the complete game effort, while senior JennToussaint was stellar in goal for Salem State, making 13 saves in 60 minutes of work.

Fitchburg State (14-4, 6-1 MASCAC) advances to the semifinal round of the 2016 MASCAC women's lacrosse tournament and will travel to the second-seeded Bears of Bridgewater State on Thursday for a 6 p.m. start. Salem State (7-9, 2-5 MASCAC) concludes its 2016 season this evening.

(Courtesy Fitchburg State Sports Information)