Women’s lacrosse falls to Keene St. in home opener

Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST

By Izabela Gage

Sports Editor

The Framingham State Rams were defeated by the Keene State Owls 8-4 on their home field in a non-conference matchup March 25.

This loss brings their overall record to 3-5.

This is the Rams’ first game back following their spring break trip to Florida, where they faced off against two teams.

Captain Bella DiMare, a senior, said, “Florida was a good chance for us to build chemistry and grow as a team, especially since we’re still pretty young. We had a lot of energy going into our home opener and wanted to set the tone early, which I think we did in the first quarter. 

“Obviously, the result wasn’t what we wanted, but it showed us where we need to improve, especially in maintaining that energy for a full game,” she added.

Freshman Kate McGovern said the team “had two really strong practices that helped us get back into the swing of things on our own field. It felt good to be back in our normal environment, and there was a lot of excitement around it being our home opener. We focused on going over our plays and getting comfortable again as a team.”

Freshman Jenna James said, going into their home opener, “We focused on working together and getting back into our rhythm after the trip. Even though the result didn’t go our way, it showed us what we need to improve on as a team moving forward.”

At the opening draw control, Keene won possession, and they earned a free position attempt a minute later. DiMare saved the shot, though, and set the tone for a defensive effort that was consistent throughout the game.

Framingham’s midfield and defense worked to keep the pressure on Keene, with turnovers caused by James and Captain Alessia Lye, a senior.

Framingham put the first point on the board just over 3 minutes into the first quarter when McGovern found the back of the net off an assist from senior Kelley DeBellis. 

McGovern said, “It was definitely exciting to score the first goal, especially in the home opener as a freshman. I think that helped set the tone early and gave us a lot of energy right away. Even when we started to fall behind, I think that initial momentum carried through and kept us motivated and determined to keep pushing.”

The Rams’ defense held firm through a series of the Owls’ possessions, highlighted by another two saves by DiMare. 

Following multiple turnovers and ground ball battles on both sides, a yellow card on Keene created a man-up opportunity for Framingham. James netted the ball off a pass from DeBellis to extend the lead to 2-0 with 1:53 remaining in the period.

James said while having an extra player advantage, the team focuses on “moving the ball quickly, finding the open player, and taking smart shots to finish and get the ball in the back of the net.”

The Owls answered quickly, as they scored with just over a minute left to make it 2-1 heading into the second quarter.

Keene opened the second period with increased pressure, eventually tying the game less than 2 minutes in. 

Shortly after, a Framingham penalty gave Keene a man-up opportunity, and they capitalized on it to give the Owls their first lead of the game 3-2.

The following 10 minutes of play were uneventful, except for one wide shot from Keene. 

With 1:55 remaining, the Owls scored to extend the lead to 4-2. 

Lye tried to tally another goal for the Rams, but a save by Keene’s goalkeeper, Katelyn Nicotera, preserved the two-goal lead heading into halftime.

Sophomore Emma Kendzulak made one last attempt to score before the clock ran out, but the shot was high.

In the third quarter, Keene remained aggressive and took a shot on goal only 2:33 in, which was saved by DiMare. 

After a series of clears by both teams and a save by DiMare, the Owls scored 5 minutes into the quarter to bring the score to 5-2. 

Only 2 seconds later, DiMare made her seventh save of the game, but unfortunately, Keenestruck again only 1 minute and 40 seconds later, stretching the lead to 6-2.

After earning a free position shot, Keene broke through DiMare’s defense to take a 5-point lead with under 5 minutes left.

DiMare made another save on a free position shot, keeping the Owls at a 5-point advantage entering the final quarter.

After a shot by freshman Katie Pizzardi, which was saved by Nicotera, the Rams finally broke through in the fourth quarter when sophomore Madeline Bosma scored to cut the deficit to 7-3. 

Following a wide shot by sophomore Lily Malloy, the Owls scored a man-up goal to take a 5-point lead once again.

Malloy won the next faceoff, and sophomore Sarah Lewis converted a free position shot a minute later to shrink the gap to 8-4.

Both sides traded possession, with Framingham’s defense forcing turnovers and maintaining ball movement that kept them determined despite Keene’s scoring.

The Rams continued offensive pressure in the closing minutes of the game.

Lye launched a shot that flew wide, and Lewis tried to find the back of the net with 1 second remaining on the clock, but it was saved by Nicotera.

The match ended in the Owls’ favor with a score of 8-4.

DiMare earned a .500 save percentage, saving eight of the 16 shots she faced. 

She said she focused on “staying composed and competing every shot. Even when they started to build momentum, I focused on staying present and giving my team a chance. 

“Defensively, we had strong stretches where we communicated well and made things difficult for them. The biggest thing is putting that together consistently for all four quarters,” she added.

McGovern said the team’s offense was “pushed into dodging more than we usually do instead of running our typical offense through feeds from down low. I think it was clear at times that we were a little uncomfortable with that, but we adjusted and handled it as best as we could.”

She added, “Even though it was a tough loss, there’s still a lot we can take from it. We might need to go back to the basics, which could really help us reset and improve.”

James earned MASCAC Rookie of the Week for the second time this season on March 23.

James said, “I really credit my teammates for it. I trust them to put me in good positions, and my job is to be ready to catch their passes and finish in front of the net.” 

The Rams travel to take on the Westfield State Owls in their first conference game of the season March 28.

James said the team is prioritizing “moving the ball faster, limiting mistakes, and doing a better job of taking care of our possessions.”

DiMare said, “Going into Westfield, the biggest thing for us is consistency. We showed we can compete, especially early in games, but now it’s about putting together a full 60 minutes.” 

She said as a team, they are “focusing a lot on communication, limiting mistakes, and playing more disciplined. Being a young team, every game is a learning experience, and we’re using this one as motivation going into conference play.”

McGovern said as a whole, the team is working “on better communication and doing a stronger job moving the ball up the field. I’m excited to see how we respond and how we perform once we get into conference play, especially heading into our game against Westfield this weekend.”