Falcons Upended By Owls In Conference Tilt

Orlowski nets game-best four goals for Green and Gold 

Fitchburg, Mass. - The Fitchburg State women's lacrosse team dropped a 20-6 decision to the Owls of Westfield State in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action this afternoon at Elliot Field.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 6, Westfield State 20

Records: Fitchburg State (5-7, 2-3 MASCAC) | Westfield State (10-5, 5-0 MASCAC)

How It Happened

Westfield State opened the scoring as junior Natalie DeMaio (Westwood, Mass.) netted her 26th marker on the season before Fitchburg State knotted the score at 1-1 with sophomore Delaney Ponder (East Bridgewater, Mass.) finding the back of the net for her 13th score of the year. The Owls went on a 9-0 run to end the period with DeMaio and newcomer Arianna Andresen (Long Island, N.Y.) registering two goals each over the stretch.

In the second period of play, the Falcons answered when sophomore Nicole Orlowski (Ellington, Conn.) connected on her 12th tally. Westfield State extended the lead to 13-2 though, capped by a goal from senior Victoria Paras (Medford, Mass.). The Green and Gold would pull the score to 13-4 on goals from senior Cali Laakso (Fitchburg, Mass.) and Orlowski.

Following the intermission, Westfield State upped the advantage to 17-4 with goals from Rinkus, senior Cassidy Harvey (Niskayuna, N.Y.) and senior Cassidy Connolly (Woburn, Mass.). Fitchburg State responded late in the stanza as Orlowski received a feed from senior Eva Kozikowski (Portsmouth, N.H.) and deposited a shot into the back of the net from her third marker on the day to make the score 17-5.

In the final period of play, the two teams traded goals as Rinkus and Orlowski notched markers, before the Owls secured the victory with a tally from DeMaio, resulting in the 20-6 final.

Inside the Numbers

• 15th meeting between the Falcons and the Owls with Fitchburg State 2-13 all-time when taking on Westfield State
• Orlowski led the way for the Falcons with a game best four goals and two draw controls
• Senior Grace Wetherbee (Marblehead, Mass.) finished with a game best six caused turnovers and four groundballs for the Green and Gold
• For the Owls, Rinkus collected a game-leading six points on four goals and two helpers as well as one groundball and three draw controls
• Sophomore Alyson Cote (South Hadley, Mass.) seven saves for Fitchburg State
• Junior Kara Banagan (Niskayuna, N.Y.) stopped three shots for Westfield State
• Senior Grace Wetherbee moved into fourth on the Falcons all-time list with 78 caused turnovers

Up Next

Falcons return to action on Tuesday as they host the Vikings of Salem State in MASCAC action, starting at 7:00 PM.