Women’s Lacrosse Claims 18-6 Win over Hope College

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – With an offensive effort of five Worcester State women's lacrosse players, the Lancers claimed an 18-6 victory over Hope College Wednesday afternoon on the campus of University of California Santa Barbara. With the win, the Lancers advance to 3-3 on the season, while Hope drops to 1-3.

Worcester State's senior duo of Jackie Connors (Ashland, Mass.) and Kaila Chase (Northbridge, Mass.) each tallied seven points against the Flying Dutch, as Connors scored five goals and assisted two, while Chase did the opposite and scored two and assisted five. Alaina Martin (E. Longmeadow, Mass.) added in four goals and an assist on the afternoon, as Amanda Pruyn (Tyngsboro, Mass.) landed three in net. Both Kylie Farrell (Sutton, Mass.) and Mackenzie Little (Marlboro, Mass.) chipped in two apiece, as Farrell registered her first collegiate career goal.

Worcester State took the early lead, scoring their first goal within one minute of play. They added to their lead, by adding eight more unanswered goals to bring the score to 9-0. Hope finally reached the scoreboard with 11:34 remaining in the first, and then went on their rampage, scoring four unanswered to cut their deficit to 9-4, only for Worcester to score another before the half.

With the score at 10-4 following the intermission, Hope came out with a goal to cut their shortage in half. However, Worcester kept adding to their lead, as they scored eight more goals in the half. Hope was only able to swing one more in on an unassisted goal by Reine Thomas (Portage, Mich.) with 15:59 remaining in the game.

Leading the Hope offense was Hanna VanAlst (Cilo, Mich.) who scored three goals, while Emily Deane (Rochester Hills, Mich.) and Grace Ahlgrim (Libertyville, Ill.) tacked on a goal and an assist apiece. Michaela Biegner (Hillsdale, Mich.) registered her third loss of the season, while Worcester State's goaltender, Krissy Pessa (Wapole, Mass.) marked her third win of the season, registering 10 saves on the afternoon.

The Lancers return to the east coast and will prepare for their next game on Tuesday, Mar. 29 where they will host UMass-Dartmouth in non-conference play.