BRISTOL, R.I.- The RWU Women's Lacrosse team suffered a 12-10 loss to visiting Western New England College in Saturday's ECAC Championship Semifinal Game. Golden Bears sophomore Jeanmarie Barbato (Huntington Station, N.Y.) led all scorers with four goals.
The fourth-seeded Golden Bears needed just 21 seconds to take the lead and never fell behind for the remainder of the game. Helped by 14 free-position shots, Western New England College led by as many as six goals midway through the second half.
The teams traded goals to a 3-3 tie with 19:15 remaining in the first half, but three WNEC goals, all scored within 1:07, followed by a free position goal for Taryn Lagasse (South Glastonbury, Conn.) put the Golden Bears ahead, 7-3, 11:46 before the break.
Hawks sophomore Claire Halliday (Trenton, N.J.) ended WNEC's scoring streak at 6:36, but just 14 seconds later Nicole Poli (Medfield, Mass.) notched her second of three on the day sending the teams into halftime with the score 8-4.
Hawks junior Kasey Beckwith (Franklin, Conn.) scored on her team's first of five free-position attempts in the game at 26:47 of the second half, but a three-goal streak by the visitors extended their lead to 11-5.
After trading goals, RWU posted its own three-goal scoring streak, forcing the Golden Bears into a timeout with the score 12-9 and 9:19 remaining in the game. The Hawks won the ensuing draw control – one of seven on the day – but strong defense and a nice save by goalkeeper Marissa Bonitatibus (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) shifted the momentum.
The Golden Bears slowed the pace down, yet RWU extended its scoring streak when sophomore Kate Malenczak (Sayville, N.Y.) scored her second goal of the game, moving the score to 12-10 with 2:34 left. Both teams remained scoreless for the remainder of the game, helping Western New England advance to the ECAC Finals for the second-straight season.
The Golden Bears will face the winner of this evening's semifinal contest between Emerson and Castleton. RWU completes its season with a 15-4 record.
