BOSTON, Mass. - The New England College women's lacrosse team saw its season come to a close on Saturday afternoon, falling 10-8 to second-seeded Emmanuel College in the quarterfinal round of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tournament.
Emmanuel's top scorer, Madeline Wright, opened the game to give the Saints a 1-0 lead. NEC responded with three straight goals from freshman Sydney Bailey (Boscawen, N.H.), junior Carmela Goodwin (Lebanon, N.H.), and senior Meadow Gilchrist (Stamford, Conn.) to take a 3-1 advantage. EC added a late goal to cut the lead to one, but Goodwin struck again to give the Pilgrims a 4-1 lead after one.
Sophomore Riley Davis (Weare, N.H.) extended the lead to 5-2 off a feed from senior Mackenzie McDonald (Boscawen, N.H.). Emmanuel answered with goals from Anna Nichols and Wright to make it a one-goal game. The Saints fired a series of shots on target, but freshman goalkeeper Tatum Villa (Framingham, Mass.) made the saves. Nichols scored with 30 seconds remaining in the frame to tie the game at 5-5.
Both teams traded chances in the third before EC scored midway through the quarter, giving the Saints a 6-5 edge heading into the final frame. The Saints pushed their lead to two just 13 seconds into the fourth quarter. Junior Alexis Hornsby (Atkinson, N.H.) converted a free-position shot to bring the 'Grims within one, but Emmanuel responded to maintain a two-goal cushion. Late goals from Davis and Hornsby tied the game at 8-8, but Emmanuel closed with two goals in the final minutes to secure the 10-8 victory.
Goodwin, Hornsby, and Davis each scored twice for the Pilgrims. Gilchrist and sophomore Jamie Blondin (Oakville, Ont.) led the team with four draw controls apiece, while Villa recorded nine saves and one ground ball in net.
The Pilgrims finish the 2026 season with an 11-7 overall record. Emmanuel advances to the GNAC semifinals, where they will face Norwich University.
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