Women's lacrosse bests Anna Maria in 15-0 shutout

Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST

By Taylor Kimmell Asst. Sports Editor In a conference matchup April 18, the Framingham State Rams defeated the Anna Maria Amcats, scoring 15 goals in four quarters and improving their conference record to 3-2 and their overall record to 6-8. Senior Kelley DeBellis won the opening draw control for FSU, and, not a minute later, freshman Jenna James found the back of the net, assisted by freshman Kate McGovern. Another DeBellis-dominated draw control put the ball in motion for her to score Framingham’s second goal not 30 seconds following the first. DeBellis won the third draw control as well. Then, a foul by the Amcats awarded the Rams a free position shot. Sophomore Madeline Bosma stepped to the arc, but her shot went high. Still, Anna Maria struggled to defend their net, failing a clear attempt and earning a yellow card before James came in for a ground ball pickup to gain possession for the Rams. A pass from Captain Alessia Lye, a senior, to Bosma allowed the latter to net a third goal for Framingham. Anna Maria’s goalkeeper, Grace Holden, pushed back against the Rams’ next few shots, preventing goal attempts by McGovern, freshman Katie Pizzardi, and sophomore Emma Kendzulak. A yellow card against the Amcats allowed the Rams to find the footing to score again, with a free position shot by Lye finding the back of the net. McGovern scored just over a minute later off a pass from Lye, increasing FSU’s lead to 5-0. Within the same minute, James netted Framingham’s sixth goal unassisted. The ensuing draw control was won by Pizzardi, but the Amcats managed to force a turnover, making an offensive drive for the first time during the match. Anna Maria’s possession was cut short by Framingham freshman Kylie Thomas, who caused a turnover. Possession altered for the final 4 minutes of the first quarter, seeing shot attempts by Bosma, Kendzulak, James, and Anna Maria’s Hannah Pratt. Bosma said the Rams’ early six goals “definitely gave us a lot of confidence. It helped us settle into our game and play more freely instead of feeling pressure later on.” Framingham maintained control of the match during the second quarter, with a strong offensive push early on that allowed McGovern to find a gap in the Amcats’ defenders to shoot, but the ball was saved by Holden. After the shot, the Amcats battled back with a successful clear attempt, but Thomas forced another turnover and the ball returned to the Rams’ possession. The Amcats failed to clear the ball a minute later, and another strong press by FSU resulted in McGovern earning a free position shot, which she sank into the back of the net to bring the score to 9-0. Less than 20 seconds later, after DeBellis won the next draw control, Lye was able to put the ball into Anna Maria’s net once again. James and sophomore Sarah Lewis followed suit with goals of their own within the next 2 minutes, increasing the Rams’ lead to 11-0. The Amcats managed to make a strong enough drive to shoot on FSU’s net, but sophomore goaltender Allison Wurms defended the goal and saved the shot. Anna Maria’s defenders held strong for the next 5 minutes, preventing shots by Lewis, James, and a free position shot by Kendzulak. With a minute and 40 seconds left in the quarter, McGovern passed the ball to Kendzulak, who netted a shot to further bolster the Rams’ lead. Although Anna Maria won the next draw control and forced a foul by Kendzulak, Framingham still fought to gain possession, with a turnover and ground ball pickup by junior Olivia Berggren starting another drive. The Rams cleared the ball and, in the final seconds of the half, Lewis attempted to score, but the shot went wide of the net. In the opening minutes of the second half, the Rams again made efforts to stay on the offensive. James sent in a shot two and a half minutes in, but it was saved by Holden. Holden was unable to prevent the Rams’ next scoring attempt, neglecting to save a hard shot by Pizzardi. Sophomore Gabby Foster won the next draw control for Framingham, kickstarting the action that led to Thomas scoring the Rams’ 14th goal on an assist from Kendzulak. Anna Maria’s offense picked up over the next several minutes, making it close enough to FSU’s net to attempt a shot. Sophomore goaltender Makayla Harvey, stepping in for Wurms, presented the shot and put the Rams back on the offensive end. Harvey saved another Amcats’ shot 3 minutes later, setting FSU up for a successful clear attempt and allowing a goal by Foster soon after. With just over 2 minutes left in the third quarter, the Amcats won the draw control and attempted to find openings in Framingham’s defense, but were unsuccessful. Harvey saved another shot, then the Rams’ offense worked to run down the clock for the final minute of the quarter. The Rams continued to make strong moves on offense in the final quarter, with a shot by junior Nicole Sheehan in the opening 20 seconds that was saved by Holden. Despite the Amcats’ attempts to clear the ball, the Rams continued to push, eventually forcing a foul and earning a free position attempt. Foster took the shot, but Holden remained vigilant in the net and prevented her from scoring. FSU’s offense remained steady, keeping the ball on the Amcats’ side of the field. Foster attempted another shot about 3 minutes after the first, but it went wide of the net. The next shot came from Sheehan, with Holden making another save. The final minutes of the match saw two more shots each from Sheehan and Lewis, but none found the back of the net. Anna Maria made a final defensive push during the last minute of the match, holding off any other scoring attempts by the Rams. The clock hit zero, sealing the deal on a decisive 15-0 victory for Framingham. Bosma said, “Winning by a big margin is great for our confidence as a team. “We’re also focused on staying humble and continuing to improve. Every game is a chance to get better, especially as we get closer to playoffs,” she added. Bosma said the Rams found success on offense because they stayed “really disciplined and kept pushing the pace. We moved the ball well, took smart shots, and worked together as a unit for the full 60 minutes.” This win improved FSU’s conference record to 3-2. Bosma said while having a winning conference record is exciting, “Our mindset is to stay focused and not get too comfortable. “Overall, I’m really proud of how the team played today. Everyone contributed, and we’re just going to keep building off this momentum,” she added. Framingham hosted the Mass. Maritime Buccaneers for a conference matchup April 21, winning the match 19-8. The Rams unfortunately fell to the Plymouth State Panthers 14-8 in a non-conference matchup April 22. Following these matches, FSU’s overall record stands at 7-9 and their conference record improved to 4-2. The Rams will host the Bridgewater State Bears for a conference matchup April 25 - their last game of the regular season. Bosma said, “We’re taking things one game at a time and preparing to compete at a high level going into the playoffs.”