BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Senior midfielder Emily Hiller (Marion, Mass.) tallied a career-high nine goals to lead the Bridgewater State University women's lacrosse team to a 17-10 victory over visiting Massachusetts Maritime Academy on a cool Thursday night at Swenson Field.
The host Bears picked up their first win of the 2021 campaign as they improved to 1-3. The visiting Buccaneers (0-1) were playing in their first game of the season. Bridgewater State is now 9-0 all-time versus Mass. Maritime as the two teams first met back in 2012.
Six of Hiller's nine strikes came in the second half. She also added an assist for a career-high ten points and checked in with a career-high 11 draw controls to go along with three ground balls.
Junior attack Alyssa DiScipio (Braintree, Mass.) paced Mass. Maritime with three goals and three assists, while senior midfielder Anna Deely (Barnstable, Mass.) and freshman midfielder Cassie Llewellyn (Fairfield, Conn.) notched three goals apiece.
The Bears led 5-2 midway through the first half on the strength of three Hiller goals. The Buccaneers reeled off back-to-back-to-back markers in a span of eight minutes to knot the score at 5-5. Llewellyn found the back of the net on the player-advantage to start the rally, while senior midfielder Casey Sullivan (Sagamore Beach, Mass.) capped off the three goal outburst.
BSU freshman attack Savannah Herrington (Kinnelon, N.J.), however, scored twice in the final 94 seconds of the opening period, including a free position goal, to give the hosts a 7-5 lead at the break.
DiScipio set up Deely just 58 seconds into the second half to pull the Buccaneers to within one. Hiller responded off a Herrington assist and junior attack Katherine Tracy (Marion, Mass.) made it a three-goal cushion, 9-6, with classmate Lily Carson (Medford, Mass.) picking up the helper at the 26:25 mark.
Deely converted again off a DiScipio assist to cut the deficit to two with just under 24 minutes remaining, but the Bucs would get no closer the rest of the way as Hiller and the Bears took over after that. Bridgewater State potted five of the next six goals, including three by Hiller, to put the game out of reach.
Herrington and Tracy each finished with two goals and an assist for the Bears, while Carson tallied a goal and an assist. Sophomore midfielder Katie O'Brien (Pembroke, Mass.) and junior midfielders Hayley Carron (Hopedale, Mass.) and Katie Swart (Bridgewater, Mass.) also scored for Bridgewater State with Swart potting her first collegiate goal in her first collegiate game.
The Bears finished with a 36-24 shot advantage for the game and a slight 15-14 edge in draw controls. Deely matched Hiller with a game-high 11 draw controls. Herrington led the BSU defensive effort with a career-best six caused turnovers.
The Bears went 5-for-15 on free position attempts, while the Buccaneers converted just 1 of 6.
Sophomore goalkeeper Olivia Kerrigan (Braintree, Mass.) picked up her first collegiate victory for the Bears as she made five saves in 37 minutes and 37 seconds of action. Freshman Laura Giovaniello (Walpole, Mass.) came on in relief at the 22:23 mark of the second half and turned aside five shots in her collegiate debut.
Sophomore Aviva Beringhause (Providence, R.I.), junior Laura Kleber (Westport, Mass.) and freshman Celia Del Rosso (Hingham, Mass.) combined to make 14 saves between the pipes for the Buccaneers. Beringhause played the first 30 minutes and turned aside five shots in the setback.
Notes: Hiller finished one goal shy of the BSU single-game record of ten set by Susan Larson in 1986 and equaled by Andrea Erickson in 1989 and Jenny Jones in 2009….Hiller's previous career high for scoring came last season against the University of New England as she notched seven goals and two assists for nine points.
Up Next: The Bears travel to Salem State University on Saturday evening for a six o'clock Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) game with the Vikings. The Buccaneers entertain Framingham State University next Thursday at five.