WORCESTER, Mass. – Having entered the game winning four consecutive games on the road on their five-game road trip, the Keene State College women's lacrosse team looked to make it five-for-five on the trip, but Worcester State University didn't allow it to happen as they scored nine first quarter goals to hand the Owls the eventual 19-8 loss.
Records
- Keene State: 4-6 (1-0 LEC)
- Worcester State: 6-4 (1-0 MASCAC)
How it Happened
Cadence Oleniak made three saves in net for the Lancers in the opening 1:43, while WSU scored five goals over 4:33 to jump out to a 5-0 lead early in the contest.
Lola Varricchione stopped the scoring run for the Lancers with a goal, but WSU answered right back with a free position goal just 23 seconds later to increase the lead back to five.
Tess Brown scored her first goal of the game for KSC to pull within four again with 6:32 remaining in the quarter, but WSU went on a three-goal run to end the quarter to take a 9-2 lead into the second quarter.
Brown added a pair of points in the opening four minutes as she assisted on
Hayden Smith's man-up goal and then added a goal of her own shortly after to pull the Owls within five again. The Lancers killed the Owls momentum shortly after with four consecutive goals over 6:36 to take a 13-4 lead with 3:06 remaining in the opening half. Brown added her third goal of the game for the Owls with 1:41 remaining, but WSU responded with another goal 57 seconds later to increase their lead to 14-5 heading into halftime.
WSU opened the third quarter up with three goals over the opening 6:21 of the third quarter before Brown scored goal number four of the day with 5:30 remaining in the quarter. The Owls tacked on one more goal late in the quarter as
Brooke Diwinsky caused a turnover resulting in
Riley Devine scoring a man-up goal to bring the score to 17-7 heading into the final 15 minutes of the contest.
Both goalkeepers held strong in the fourth quarter as
Mabelle Bessette made four saves over the quarter for the Owls, while Oleniak also made four saves over the 15 minutes. WSU struck first with their first goal of the quarter three minutes in before adding on goal number 19 5:02 later. Brown hit the post denying her goal number five shortly after the Lancers' last goal, but she did find the back of the net for her fifth of the game with 2:23 remaining to bring the final score to 19-8.
Inside the Crease
- With the loss KSC falls to 1-4 in the all-time series between the two teams.
- Brown recorded a team-high six points from her game-high five goals and assist for KSC.
- Both Katelyn Nicotera and Mabelle Bessette made five saves in net for KSC in the contest.
- Both teams won 15 draw controls on the day with Varricchione finishing with a team-high five draws on the day.
- The Owls went 75% on clears on the day (6-for-8), while WSU went 16-for-17 (94.1%).
Up Next
Keene State returns home for their next contest for the first time since March 12 as the Owls host the University of Southern Maine on Saturday, April 4, at 1:00 PM for an important LEC matchup and the Owls' 2026 Morgan's Message game, where they will be hosting raffle prizes to collect money to donate to the cause.
