#1 Bridgewater State Holds Off #4 Fitchburg State, 16-11

Swan collects 200th career point in final collegiate contest

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (May 5, 2010) – Top-seeded Bridgewater State used a 13 goal first half to down fourth-seeded Fitchburg State, 16-11 in semifinal round action of the 2010 NEWLA Tournament.

Bridgewater State (14-4, 6-1 NEWLA) advances to the NEWLA Championship round to face third-seeded Castleton State (13-5, 6-1 NEWLA) on Saturday as the Spartans defeated Westfield State, 18-17 earlier today. Fitchburg State concludes its 2010 campaign with an overall record of 10-7 and a 4-3 mark in the NEWLA.

Despite the loss, Fitchburg State stole the show as senior Emily Swan (Franklin, Mass./Franklin) became the first Falcon to collect 200 career points. Swan’s bid for the record books came late in the contest, notching her 200th point with a score at the 46:42 mark. She paced the Falcons offense with one goal and three assists, while junior Kaitlyn Kelley (Pepperell, Mass./North Middlesex) added a team-best five goals.

Bridgewater State jumped out to an early six goal lead, breaking a 2-2 tie with six straight goals just 13 minutes into the game. Senior Shannon Manning (Framingham, Mass./Framingham) and junior Courtney Lennon (Medfield, Mass./Medfield) led the Bears rally with two goals, while Kristin White (Pelham, Mass./Amherst Regional) and Erin Quimby (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford) added one score each. The Falcons broke Bridgewater State’s scoring streak with a pair of goals from freshman Jamie Kelley (Pepperell, Mass./North Middlesex), but Lennon and White struck again in the final 11 minutes for a commanding 13-5 lead at the break.

In the second half, Fitchburg State answered back, recording three of the first four goals scored in the frame. K. Kelley led the Falcons charge with back-to-back markers at the 21:25 mark, while sophomore Amanda Burns (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) chipped in her first goal of the contest. The Bears responded just one minute later with a Jenny Jones (Framingham, Mass./Framingham) marker, but the Falcons notched three more tallies to make it a five goal contest with 6:56 remaining.

The scored remained the same for the rest of the contest as Meghan Griffin (Billerica, Mass./Billerica) and the Bridgewater State defense held Fitchburg State silent. Griffin turned away 12 shots in the contest, while freshman goaltender Abbie Brown (Westwood, Mass./Westwood) stopped nine shots for the Falcons. Bridgewater boasted a 35-30 advantage in shots, while Fitchburg State grabbed an 18-15 advantage in groundballs.

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Bridgewater State 16, Fitchburg State 11