WLAX Tops Becker in NECC Opener
LEICESTER, Mass. - The Mitchell College women's lacrosse team opened New England Collegiate Conference play with a 13-7 victory at Becker College on Wednesday afternoon at Alumni Field.
The Mariners (2-2 overall, 1-0 NECC) were led by Kate McCormack with six goals and two assists. Francesca Pinard pitched in with four scores and a team-high six draw controls while Jacquelyn White scored twice and Rachel Barda added a goal.
Samantha Carter paced the Hawks (0-6, 0-1 NECC) with five goals to run her team-leading season total to nine. Cassandra Nelson scored twice and assisted on two of Carter's goals.
Carter netted two goals in the opening three minutes of the contest to give Becker the early advantage. Mitchell battled back behind McCormack, who supplied three goals over a 10-minute span to knot the score at 3-3 with 13:39 to go in the half. The Mariners closed the half strong, with Pinard scoring twice and McCormack adding another, to take a 6-3 lead into the break.
The Hawks rallied again in the early stages of the second half, cutting the deficit to 6-5 on goals by Nelson and Carter. However, Mitchell responded with seven straight goals to pull away. White tallied the first of her career with 23:28 remaining in the game, a goal that eventually became the game winner. She tacked on her second score just over 2:30 later to extend the lead to 10-5. McCormack's final goal of the day gave the Mariners their biggest lead at 13-5 and raised her team-leading goal total to 14.
Goalie Gillian MacLellan made four saves against 17 shots in the victory. Becker's Nikolie Storey made 11 stops between the pipes.
Mitchell will next play at Wheelock College on Saturday, April 7 at noon. Becker returns to action on Saturday at Southern Vermont College at noon.