Castleton, VT. - For the second straight year, the Western New England College women's lacrosse team is the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England Tournament champion.

Senior Michelle Thompson (Wilbraham, MA) scored six goals in her final game as the fourth-seeded Golden Bears upset third-seeded Castleton State 16-8 Sunday (May 10).

Sophomore goalie Marissa Bonitatibus (Yorktown Heights, NY) compiled 10 saves and was selected the Tournament Most Valuable Player.

Sophomore Nicole Poli (Medfield, MA) added four goals with eight caused turnovers and senior Lindsay Fenton (Pelham, MA) had two goals and an assist for WNEC who finished the season with a 13-7 record. Fenton has a year of eligibility remaining and is expected to return next season.

On Saturday (May 9), the Golden Bears shocked top-seeded Roger Williams 12-10 in a semifinal ontest in Bristol, Rhode Island.

Traveling approximately 240 miles for its next contest in 24 hours, Western New England College fought back from a 2-1 deficit with nine consecutive goals to take an 11-4 halftime advantage over the Spartans.

Sophomore Jeanmarie Barbato (Huntington Station, NY) contributed two goals while freshman Katie Toomy (Northborough, MA) had a goal and two assists. Freshman Liz McRoberts (Bourne, MA) scored the other goal for Westen New England College. Sophomore Marisa Hebert (Saco, ME) had seven draw controls

For Castleton State, sophomore Marie VanerKar (Manchester, VT) netted four goals and had an assist. Junior Stephanie Pearce (Shoreham, NY) and freshman Stephanie Paproski (Newtown, CT) each chipped-in with two goals.

The Spartans, who upended second-seeded Emerson 22-15 in a semifinal contest Saturday night in Boston, entered the game leading the nation in scoring with a 21.0 average.

Western New England College's defense held its opponents to only 22 shots.

Castleton State ends its year with a 15-4 record.