WESTON, Mass. – Trailing 9-6 at halftime, Salem State University scored 11 goals in the second half en route to a 17-14 victory over Regis College on Tuesday night in women's lacrosse action. The Pride dip to .500 at 6-6 overall, while the Vikings improve to 2-6 and snap a six-game losing streak.
Salem State struck first to open the game as Kelsey Russell (Arlington, Mass.) found Lauren DeLuca (Salem, Mass.) from behind the net for a quick strike that put the Vikings on top 1-0. The Pride's Sam Salamone (Milford, Mass.) answered with a pair of free position goals a mere 15 seconds apart to give the Pride their first lead of the day at 2-1. Russell tied the game at 2-2 as she received a pass from Kristen Caso (Framingham, Mass.) and sliced through the Pride defense for her first tally of the game.
Salamone responded with her third tally of the game, forcing her way towards the net and beating the Salem State goalkeeper with a low shot to put the Pride back on top. Andrea Barbosa (Taunton, Mass.) gave the Pride a 4-2 lead when she cut from behind the net and placed a low shot past the keeper.
The Vikings received back-to-back goals from Kristen Cahoon (Reading, Mass.) and Bridgett Dullea (Peabody, Mass.) in a span of 25 seconds to tie it at four goals apiece, but Regis rattled off a 5-0 run to take a 9-4 lead with 2:54 to play in the half. Lindsey Graver (Bellingham, Mass.) potted a pair of goals during the run, while Grace Politis (Billerica, Mass.), Sashae Walls (Everett, Mass.), and Salamone added the other scores. Rachel Clasby (Northbridge, Mass.) ended the run with a free position goal before Russell added her second goal of the day on a quick pass from Dullea to make it a 9-6 game headed into the half.
Dullea opened the second period by taking the first draw of the half the length of the field and beating the Pride defense to cut the deficit to only three goals. Salamone answered with a goal for the Pride, but this time it was the Vikings who went on a 5-0 run to take a 12-10 lead with 19:23 to play in regulation. Kristen Cahoon scored twice during the run, with Russell, Dullea, and Caso adding tallies as well.
Sam Salamone ended the run with her sixth goal of the game to make it a 12-11 game, but Salem State answered with three-straight goals from Dullea, Erin Riley (Wakefield, Mass.), and Kristen Cahoon to put the Vikings back on top 15-11. Salamone and Politis registered back-to-back free position goals to cut the deficit to two, but DeLuca and Russell found the back of the net in the final two-plus minutes to keep the game out of reach, despite Salamone scoring her eighth goal of the game with 1:32 to play. Kelsey Russell won the ensuing draw control and the Vikings held onto the ball for the final 1:18 to hang on for the 17-14 win.
In a fairly balanced game, Regis outshot the visitors at a 39-38 clip, while also winning the turnover battle, committing only 23 turnovers to the Vikings' 27. Salem State scooped up 37 groundballs to the Pride's 30, and also held an 18-15 advantage in draw controls. The Pride failed to take advantage of free position shots, going only 5-for-12 on the night compared to a 2-for-3 showing from Salem State.
Salamone led all scorers with eight goals and also added seven groundballs and seven draw controls. Grace Politis and Lindsey Graver scored two goals apiece, while Politis led the Pride defense with four caused turnovers and added six groundballs. Sashae Walls and Andrea Barbosa added the other two tallies for the Pride. In net, Emma Decker (Southborough, Mass.) falls to 6-6 on the year, making 14 saves while allowing 17 goals on the night.
Bridgett Dullea led the Vikings attack with an eight point night on four goals and four assists. Kristen Cahoon and Kelsey Russell added four goals apiece, and the duo combined to hand out three assists. Kristen Caso scored a goal and added five assists for the visitors. Dullea led Salem State with nine draw controls and also forced three turnovers, while Tara Carnevale (Beverly, Mass.) scooped up six groundballs for the Vikings. Alex Varoutsos (Woburn, Mass.) picked up her second win of the year, playing the final 30 minutes and allowing only five goals while making six saves. Katie Bowman (Hull, Mass.) allowed nine goals and made eight saves in the first half.
The Pride look to rebound on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Wheelock College for a 2:00 p.m. New England Collegiate Conference matchup. The Vikings also return to action on Saturday, hosting the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in a 6:00 p.m. MASCAC game.