CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Regis College women's lacrosse team defeated New England Collegiate Conference foe Elms College 21-8 on Tuesday evening at Leary Field. The Pride improve to 9-5, 5-0 NECC with the victory and with the loss the Blazers drop to 6-7, 4-2 NECC.
The Pride wasted little time cracking the scoreboard as senior Grace Politis (Billerica, Mass.) scored off the opening draw, followed by a goal from senior Katie Haidemenos (Warwick, R.I.) twenty second later, to give Regis a 2-0 lead less than a minute into action. Trailing 4-0, the Blazers responded with a free position strike from senior Kayla Narey (South Hadley, Mass.) and a tally from junior Jillian Pirog (Ludlow, Mass.) to cut the Regis lead to 5-2 with 23:39 left in the first half. Regis regained control with three unanswered goals until a goal from Pirog put Elms back on the scoreboard at 8-3 at the 16:45 mark.
The Pride pulled away from the Blazers with a five-goal streak over the next four minutes of play, featuring a pair of goals from junior Sam Salamone (Milford, Mass.), extending their lead to 13-3. Elms chipped away at their deficit in the final minutes of the half, getting goals from Narey, junior Ashley Cava (Wilbraham, Mass.), and senior Nora McDonough (South Hadley, Mass.) to make it a 15-6 game heading into halftime.
Regis came out of the break with four goals in the opening eight minutes of the second half, featuring a trio of goals from Politis, pushing the Pride advantage to 19-6. Tallies from Salamone and senior Teresa Busiek (Arlington, Mass.) dealt the final blows for Regis. Pirog netted a pair of goals for Elms in the final ten minutes of play, as the Pride defeated the Blazers, 21-8.
Politis led all scorers with a game-high six goals, while Salamone added five goals. Busiek netted four goals with three assists, and freshman Nicole Roche (Waltham, Mass.) had three goals and an assist. Pirog carried the offensive load for Elms, scoring four goals, while Narey added a pair in the loss. Cava dished out two assists with a goal, and McDonough had a goal and an assist.
The Pride outshot the Blazers, 32-12, during the contest, while winning ground balls, 29-14, and draw controls, 17-12. Elms sophomore goalkeeper Meeghan O'Connor (Fall River, Mass.) stopped a game-high six shots for Elms, while Regis junior goalie Emma Decker (Southborough, Mass.) made three saves in the win.
The Blazers will look to return to the win column when they host Framingham State in their home finale at Leary Field Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. Thursday night's game is Senior Night for the Blazers. Regis will host Mitchell College in NECC action on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m.
Release Courtesy of Elms College Sports Information