By Jim Fenton
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The defending champion Bridgewater State University women's soccer team began the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference season with a victory.
The Bears, who went 7-0 in the conference a year ago, edged Worcester State University, 2-1, on Saturday at rainy and windy Mazzaferro Field in the MASCAC opener.
BSU (3-2-1 overall) scored a pair of first-half goals on the way to its 10th straight MASCAC regular-season win dating back to the 2022 season.
The Bears own a 21-18-7 lead over the Lancers (1-4-1 overall) in a series that dates back to 1991.
Junior Olivia Robarge (Pepperell, Mass.), the leading scorer for BSU, put the Bears up, 1-0, 12 minutes into the game with an unassisted goal.
Robarge took a shot from the right side that went wide of the goal, and Worcester State sophomore goalkeeper Ella Gumienny (Douglas, Mass.) came out to play the ball as a BSU forward moved in.
The goalie slid and knocked the ball away, sending it to Robarge, who slipped a left-footed shot inside the right post from just inside the 18.
Robarge has six goals in six games, matching her total from a year ago. She has 14 career goals in two-plus seasons.
The Bears extended the lead to 2-0 at 30:32 of the first half when junior Skylar Conrad (Walpole, Mass.) scored her first goal of the season, assisted by Robarge and freshman Hope Montgomery (Abington, Mass.).
Off a throw-in from Montgomery, Robarge sent a cross into the six that was tapped into the center of the cage by Conrad.
Conrad has five career goals while Robarge picked up her first assist of the season.
The score remained that way until the Lancers scored at 52:16.
A long distance shot by junior Erin Condon (East Bridgewater, Mass.) was mishandled by the BSU goalkeeper. Sophomore Ava Lemanski (Clinton, Mass.) hopped on the rebound and delivered a shot into an open net.
It was the team-leading fourth goal of the season for Lemanski.
BSU held a 16-13 edge in shots and both teams had nine shots on goal.
Levesque made eight saves for her third win of the season and 23rd in her career. She is tied for fourth on the BSU all-time list with Emily Schlosser, who had 23 wins from 2003-06.
Gumienny made seven saves for the Lancers in their MASCAC opener.
The Bears play their next three games on the road, beginning Wednesday at 4 p.m. against Roger Williams in Rhode Island. They return home on Oct. 5, hosting Framingham State University.
Worcester State will host a non-conference game on Wednesday night when it faces Clark University.