Box Score SPRINGFIELD, Mass.--Senior Kaitlynn Stevens scored two of her season-high seven goals in the final 2 minutes and 2 seconds as Western New England held off a late Castleton State rally to edge the Spartans, 13-11, in non-conference women's lacrosse action on Thursday at Golden Bear Stadium. The visiting Spartans fall to 1-2 on the season while the Golden Bears have won three-straight to improve to 3-1.

Stevens, who added three assists for a season's best 10 points to lead all student-athletes, gave WNE an insurance goal at 12-10 with 2:02 left to play and then struck again 20 seconds later to seal the victory. She added four ground balls, two caused turnovers and five draw controls to her statline.

Senior tri-captain Jessica Scannapieco added three points on a pair of goals and an assist, five ground balls, two caused turnovers and game-high 11 draw controls for the Golden Bears, who outshot the Spartans 38 to 24 and 20-19 on goal. Juniors Brooke Kumnick and Tori Cirocco chipped in two goals apiece.

Brianna MacKay paced Castleton with four goals, Kate Auer had five points (3g, 2a), six ground balls and four draw controls, and Brandi Whittemore completed a hat trick.

With WNE clinging to an 11-10 lead, Auer had a chance to get the equalizer but her free position shot hit the right post with 2:48 left and freshman Lauren Hurley scooped up the ground ball to start the Golden Bears on a counter attack. Stevens ripped a goal into the back of the cage on one of junior Taylor Scialdone's two assists in the game to give the Golden Bears a two-goal lead. Scannapieco won the ensuing draw control and Stevens eventually made good on her free position attempt for some breathing room, 13-10, with 1:42 remaining.

MacKay tallied her eighth goal of the season on a feed from Auer with 66 seconds left, but WNE ran out the clock after Stevens won the draw control to clinch it.

Western New England raced to a 9-3 halftime lead on four goals by Stevens, two each from Kumnick and Scannapieco and one from Cirocco.

Castleton goalie Meghan Els, who had a game-high eight ground balls, made nine of her 17 saves in the second half to help keep the Spartans in the game, overcoming a 10-3 deficit after Stevens opened the scoring at 26:22 of the second half.

At 25:18 left, MacKay scored to spark a 7-1 run as the Spartans clawed back within 11-10 after another goal by the junior attacker.

Senior Emily Castleman (5 ground balls) finished with eight saves to earn the win (3-1), but her best two of the afternoon occurred late in the first half when she stopped Whittemore on back-to-back shots, including a free-position shot with the shaft of her stick.

Western New England dominated draw controls, 19-7, and was 3-for-7 on free-position shots while Castleton went 0-for-3.

Western New England returns to the field of play next week in Clermont, Fla., where it will play Allegheny College on Wednesday and Rochester Institute of Technology on Saturday at the National Training Center. Both contests are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.

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