Box Score  
BOSTON, Mass. – The New England College women's lacrosse team was unable to come away with the win on the evening against Simmons University. The team was down 9-3 going into the third quarter but was able to stand their ground outscoring the Sharks 5-2 in the second half. In the end, it wasn't enough to pull off the victory in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Wednesday evening under the lights of Roberto Clemente Field in Boston, Massachusetts.
 
THE BASICS
Score:    New England College 8, Simmons University 12
Records: Pilgrims 6-9, 4-5 GNAC | Sharks 5-7, 4-5 GNAC
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The first quarter proved to be an uphill battle for both teams but by the conclusion of the quarter, the Sharks had the last laugh as they established the one goal advantage, 3-2. SU managed to strike first thanks to the likes of senior defender Frida Turriza (Windham, N.H.) who came up on the first goal of the evening. At 8:07 sophomore midfielder Carmela Goodwin (Lebanon, N.H.) went on a high-speed pursuit down the field that would translate into a completed clear that transitioned into Goodwin finding junior attacker Meadow Gilchrist (Stamford, Conn.) open for an NEC goal to knot the game up 1-1. Goodwin would continue her execution on the offensive end of the field, scoring the second NEC goal giving them the lead that would only exist for a short period of time.
• SU would finish the first quarter on top as they scored the final two goals with both coming from senior defender Layla Drinkwater (Bolton Valley, Vt.) giving the Sharks the edge as they led by one, 3-2.
• NEC delt with an immense amount of pressure both offensively and defensively that the Sharks managed to implement in the second quarter of action. Things started with SU scoring the first two goals of the quarter that pushed the lead of the Sharks out to three, 5-2. Even with their backs against the wall, freshman midfielder Jamie Blondin (Oakville, Ont.) made things happen for the 'Grims. Blondin trudged her way down the field where the Oakville native was able to locate junior attacker Mackenzie McDonald (Boscawen, N.H.) who took care of the rest with a shot that found the back of the net to shorten the SU lead by two, 5-3.
• From there on things became stagnant for the 'Grims as scoring opportunities were hard to come by. With 9:04 remaining in the second quarter, the 'Grims only had a measly total of three shots while recording six turnovers which proved to be a burden as SU went on a 4-0 run to close out the quarter going into half time with a six-goal lead, 9-3.
• The third quarter didn't see much action taking place from an offensive standpoint with SU as NEC's defense caused enough havoc from their stout defensive play that resulted in only allowing two goals scored.
• Things began to shift dramatically into the favor of NEC where the team began to fire on all cylinders in the fourth quarter as they scored five goals. Goodwin got things going for the 'Grims as she was bestowed a free position opportunity that turned into a goal. SU found a way to answer with a goal of their own. After that blemish that was allowed NEC went on the attack scoring the next four straight that ultimately in the end proved to not be enough to earn the win. The best chance the team had at chipping away at the deficit was when SU junior defender Maria Turriza (Windham, N.H.) was issued a red card with 1:55 remaining that was non releasable. Unfortunately, the 'Grims couldn't create enough scoring opportunities which made the Sharks of Simmons University the victors on the evening, 12-8.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• NEC junior goalkeeper Isabella Marzano (Warwick, R.I.) did all she could for the 'Grims on the evening in between the pipes finishing with 18 saves.
• SU sophomore goalkeeper Anya Younie (Weymouth, Mass.) had 13 saves.
• Shots were in favor of the Sharks, 38-28.
• NEC Goodwin did her best to will the 'Grims back into the game with her four points on the evening that would be the team-high with three goals and an assist. Gilchrist and McDonald would follow up earning three points each respectively.
• SU senior defender in Turriza was a force to be reckoned with as she shined the brightest on the field tonight with six goals and an assist good for seven points as well as the game-high.
• NEC was a perfect 3-for-3 on man-up opportunities which all came within the fourth quarter.

 
UP NEXT

• NEC is back on the field on Saturday, April 19^th at 12:00 PM from Roberto Clemente Field located on the campus of Emmanuel College as they take on the Saints in a conference clash.
• SU plays their next game at Anna Maria College from Caparso Field on Saturday, April 19^th at 12:00 PM.

 
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