SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (March 7, 2024) – The Western New England women's lacrosse team saw the visiting Owls of Keene State College grow a lead by as many as six in the third quarter, though a late comeback would just come up short as the Golden Bears would drop a 13-11 contest.

Records:

• Western New England: 0-4
• Keene State College: 3-0

How it Happened:

The Golden Bears did not get off to the start they were looking for in Thursday's non-conference game against Keene State. The Owls would come away with three quick goals less than three minutes into the game to quickly take the early lead. After Hayden Smith would give Keene State a four-goal lead, Western New England would get on the board with 7:27 to play in the opening quarter when Mia Celentano would take a pass from Emmy Burns and fire it into the back of the net, putting WNE ahead 4-1. Keene State would continue to dominate the offensive side of the ball in the first quarter, seeing Mindy St. Marie and Lola Smith come away with the next two goals of the evening, giving Keene a 6-1 lead. Lina Eves would score a goal while a player down with 28 seconds remaining in the quarter, looking to give Western New England momentum heading into the second quarter. Keene State outshot WNE 11-7, while both teams went ¾ in clear attempts.

The Owls would open the second quarter and extend their lead when Chase Gengras would fire home Keene's seventh goal of the night on an assist from Haile Ratajack, giving Keene State a five-goal lead. Western New England would put together their first scoring streak of the game when Lina Eves and Mia Celentano both registered their second goals of the game. Keene State would not let the Golden Bears get within two goals of the lead and would take back their five-goal lead right before the break after Tess Brown recorded back-to-back goals for the visitors, which gave KSC a 9-4 lead, a lead in which the Owls would hold for the remainder of the half. KSC again outshot Western New England 11-7 in the quarter, with the Owls and Golden Bears both coming away with six groundballs each in the frame.

Emmy Burns opened the fourth quarter with a goal for the Golden Bears, Western New England's first quarter of the game in which they scored the first goal. Keene State would quickly answer the tally, just 33 seconds later, when Amethyst Phelps was on the board for the visitors. Keene State would lead by as many as six in the third quarter when Mindy St. Marie registered another goal for the Owls, giving Keene State an 11-5 lead. Western New England would be back on the board when Mia Celentano found twine again. WNE would score three of the final four goals in the quarter when Ella Henry and Ally Ferraro got on the board for the Golden Bears, seeing Western New England trail 12-8 after 45 minutes of play. Both teams registered seven turnovers in the quarter, while WNE outshot Keene State 10-6.

Keene State would see Tess Brown open the fourth quarter with a goal, her team leading fourth of the night, which gave KSC a 13-8 lead. From there, Western New England would take over on offense in an attempt to get back into the game. Western New England would score in quick succession, with 5:45 and 5:24 remaining in the fourth quarter, when Celentano and Lyndsey Bunnell would fire home goals for the Golden Bears. Just over a minute later, Emmy Burns would get on the scoreboard again, cutting Keene State's lead to just two with 4:21 to play. WNE would win a draw control following the goal from Burns, though Western New England would not be able to capitalize on any further opportunities as Mabelle Bessette would stand tall for Keene State in net, holding off the Golden Bears and securing a 13-11 win over Western New England.

Inside the Lines:

• Mia Celentano would score four goals for WNE while adding an assist, leading the Golden Bears with five points. The junior took eight shots, placing seven on goal, scooping four ground balls, and causing two turnovers.
• Lina Eves and Emmy Burns both came away with two goals each for Western New England.
• To go along with Celentano, Keegan McMahon and Burns would all scoop four ground balls.
• WNE won 16 of 28 draw controls in the contest.
• Keene State outshot Western New England 34-33, though the Golden Bears came away with the shots advantage in the second half, 20-11.
• Fiona Dean made eight saves for the Golden Beas in between the pipes for the final 53 minutes of the game.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England will play in The Spring Fling spring break tournament beginning on Monday, March 18 at 11:00 a.m., taking on Framingham State University in Panama City Beach, Florida.