WESTFIELD, MASS. 4/29/11 –The Keene State College women's lacrosse team broke open a close game with six straight goals in the second half en route to a 15-9 non-conference victory over Westfield State on Friday.

Senior Lauren Sawyer (Westbrook, Maine) tallied five points (3 goals, 2 assists) and sophomores Lauren Brown (Agawam, Mass.) and Nicole Curry (Hampstead, N.H.) each had three goals to rally Keene State to the win. 

Keene State, which extended its winning streak to six games, improves to 10-5.  Westfield falls to 8-5.

Sparked by three goals from Ari Colella (Franklin, Mass.), Westfield jumped out to a 6-2 lead with 12:28 remaining in the first half. But Keene State regrouped, scoring the final four goals of the first half – two by Brown and one apiece from Curry and Sawyer – as the teams went into the break deadlocked at 6-6.

The team traded goals early in the second half with Keene taking the lead for good, 8-7, on a Brown goal.  Westfield closed to within a goal, 9-8, after Carly Keeley (Feeding Hills, Mass./Agawam) found the back of net at the 23:05 mark. But Keene ripped off six unanswered goals, including two each from Sawyer and Curry, for a commanding 15-8 lead with 5:47 remaining.

Keeley and Colella led Westfield with three goals apiece.      

Keene freshman goalie Erin Taylor (Brewster, N.Y.) was stellar in net with 15 saves. Westfield goalie Jill Robinson (Salem, Mass.) had 12 saves.

Keene State wraps up its regular season with a home Little East game against UMass-Dartmouth on Saturday.