SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (March 7, 2026) – The Western New England women's lacrosse team earned its first win of the 2026 season on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Owls of Keene State College by a final score of 12-8 behind three points each from Allison Cyr, Lina Eves, and Ella Henry, while Emily Picolla made 16 saves between the pipes.

Records:

• Western New England: 1-3
• Keene State College: 0-3

How it Happened:

First Quarter:

• After the Golden Bears were able to stop Keene State in the opening offensive possession of the game with a caused turnover from Gabby Sliwka, Western New England marched down the field and found the back of the net when Allison Cyr struck for the second time this season, giving the Golden Bears the opening goal of the game. Keene State answered right back in just 28 seconds, scoring a free-position goal to even the score at one. The Owls took over the draw controls early in the game, winning the opening three. After a turnover on a clear, the Golden Bears surrendered another goal, seeing KSC's Tess Brown find twine, beating Emily Picolla, giving Keene State a 2-1 lead less than four minutes into the game. 
• Western New England fought back to retake the lead and put up six straight on the Owls to end the quarter. Carlie Francis scored her 8^th of the season at the 8:14 mark of the quarter to tie the game at two. Less than a minute later, WNE's Lyndsey Bunnell netted her third of the season, with Lina Eves picking up an assist. Ella Henry then struck one more minute after the Bunnell tally for her seventh goal of the year as Western New England continued to roar. Sydney Miles joined in on the scoring parade for the Golden Bears, netting her fifth goal of the season as the Golden Bears opened a 5-2 lead with 3:36 to play. 
• The Golden Bears kept coming as Ella Nish found twine for the sixth time this season with 3:02 remaining in the quarter, forcing a timeout from Keene State. The timeout from the Owls did not stop the Golden Bears from scoring, as Henry netted her second of the game, becoming the first Golden Bear with a pair of goals in the game, extending Western New England's lead to five, 7-2, a lead the Golden Bears took into the opening quarter. 
• KSC had the shots advantage, 10-9, but shots on goal were even at six. Emily Picolla made six saves for the Golden Bears in the opening frame. 

Second Quarter:

• Western New England had the only two goals of the second quarter as the Owls' offense was stymied by the Golden Bears. Picolla continued to shine for the Golden Bears between the pipes, opening the quarter with a pair of saves. Western New England's first goal came at the 8:18 mark of the second quarter when Samantha Montecalvo picked up her second goal of the season, this time while a player up, extending WNE's lead to 8-2. 
• The WNE defense, led by Gabby Sliwka, continued its dominance over the Owls, holding KSC to just four shots on goal, all saved by the junior goalkeeper. WNE added a late tally with 1:16 remaining in the second quarter, as Lina Eves buried her first of the game and fifth of the season, giving Western New England a 9-2 lead at halftime. 
• WNE put five shots on goal in the quarter, two finding twine and picked up eight ground balls. 

Third Quarter:

• Keene State came back in the third quarter with the opening three goals of the frame, getting back within four. Neither team found a goal until the 8:40 mark when KSC's Lola Varricchione found the back of the net for the sixth time this season and the second of the game to stop WNE's streak of eight goals in a row, putting the Owls back on the scoreboard for the first time since the 12:04 mark of the opening quarter. 
• Keene State added two more goals before the Golden Bears could stop the scoring streak as Tess Brown and Varricchione scored for the Owls to put the KSC back within four. With just 59 seconds to play in the quarter, Western New England stopped the scoring streak and saw Ella Henry score again, picking up her ninth goal of the season with 59 seconds to play in the quarter, giving the Golden Bears a 10-5 lead after 45 minutes of play.
• The Owls took over offensively in the third, outshooting the Golden Bears 11-4 in the frame and 6-1 on goal. Emily Picolla made four saves in the frame. 

Fourth Quarter:

• Western New England scored just three minutes into the fourth quarter on a Lyndsey Bunnell free-position shot, her second tally of the game, giving the Golden Bears a six-goal lead, 11-5. Keene State answered with one of its own less than a minute later, getting back within five with 10:46 to play in the game. 
• Western New England's defense continued to shine, holding off a player penalty that gave the Owls an advantage. The Golden Bears responded with another strike from Ella Nish, who gave WNE a 12-6 lead with 5:45 remaining in the game. 
• Keene State could only answer with two more goals before the end of the game, as it would not be enough, giving the Golden Bears a 12-8 victory, their first win of the 2026 season.

Inside the Lines:

• Allison Cyr, Lina Eves, and Ella Henry led the Golden Bears on offense, each recording three points. Cyr and Eves picked up a goal and two assists each while Henry scored three times. 
• Ella Nish and Lyndsey Bunnell scored a pair of goals, while Carlie Francis, Sydney Miles, and Samantha Montecalvo each tallied once. 
• On defense, WNE saw Gabby Sliwka lead the team with three caused turnovers, while Christina Harris (2), Allison Cyr, Carlie Francis, Ella Nish, and Lyndsey Bunnell all contributed defensively. 
• In goal, Emily Picolla made 16 saves and allowed just eight KSC goals.
• Lola Varricchione led the Owls with four goals and one assist. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England begins its spring break trip with a pair of games in Hilton Head, South Carolina, beginning on Tuesday, March 10, with a 9:30 AM game against Delaware Valley University.