Women’s lacrosse sails past Buccaneers

Izabela Gage / THE GATEPOST

By Izabela Gage Sports Editor By Taylor Kimmell Asst. Sports Editor The women’s lacrosse team defeated the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buccaneers 20-3 with an 8-goal first quarter contributing to the decisive win April 16. This win makes them undefeated in the conference so far with a record of 3-0, and brings their overall record to 7-6. The Rams won the first draw of the game, but that didn’t stop the Buccaneers from initiating the action and scoring the first goal of the game 2:50 in. Junior Kelley DeBellis won the following draw and took a shot on goal, but it was blocked by Mass. Maritime’s defense. Freshman Maddie Bosma picked up the ground ball, and after Framingham reset their offensive attack, she scored her first goal of the game. Possession of the ball went back and forth for the next 4 minutes until Captain Maggie Grout, a senior, earned a free position shot from a foul, and took the lead for the Rams 2-1. Only 20 seconds later, Bosma scored again after DeBellis won yet another draw control. The Buccaneers gained control of the ball on the next draw, but a foul on the Rams caused a turnover, and senior Kaleigh Houlihan picked up the ground ball. Twelve seconds later, Captain Leah Green, a senior, found the back of the net, assisted by senior Hailey Baker. Within 17 seconds, Grout scored two goals, and another goal from Green followed 27 seconds later. Mass. Maritime netted the ball, but Baker responded with a goal off a free position shot with 18 seconds remaining in the first quarter, bringing the score to 8-2. Freshman Emma Kendzulak started off the second quarter with her first goal of the game only 52 seconds in. After both teams held up defensively with four turnovers each, Bosma rocketed the ball into the net, assisted by Houlihan. Bosma lit the fuse with her goal, triggering an explosive stretch of three more goals from Baker, Grout, and Kendzulak in the following two minutes. The next 6 minutes of the game quieted down, with neither team being able to break through the other’s defense. Green scored her third goal of the game, assisted by Baker, ending the first half 14-2. The Rams remained diligent on the defensive end during the third, never allowing the Buccaneers to find the back of the net. On defense, goalkeeper Allison Wurms, a freshman, saved two of the three shots she faced on net, a strong defensive wall helping to hold off shots from Mass. Maritime’s offense. After two successful clear attempts by their defense, FSU scored a goal from Green with an assist from Baker. A foul on Green by Mass. Maritime’s defense resulted in a free position shot which gracefully found the back of the net, increasing the Rams’ lead to 16-2 at the 8-minute mark. This goal marked the 200th of her career. DeBellis won the following draw control, allowing a shot from Grout, which bounced off the post. The Buccaneers attempted to bring the ball back down the field, but a defensive play by Haleigh Cyrus, a freshman, put the Rams back on offense. Green scored once again a minute later on an assist from Grout, following a free position attempt for Framingham and a green card on Mass. Maritime. Grout won the following draw control, and the Rams remained on the offensive until DeBellis scored unassisted. Mass. Maritime won the next draw control, attempting one shot, which sailed wide of the net before Cyrus caused a turnover. The Rams cleared the ball with 9 seconds remaining and ran down the clock for the remainder of the quarter. FSU lost the first draw control of the final quarter. Fortunately, strong defense and a ground ball pickup from Brooke Drass, a sophomore, resulted in a goal from Bosma on an assist from Baker. A battle for offensive control ensued during the following 9 minutes - a goal from freshman Lily Malloy with an assist from Lye breaking the stalemate. With just a minute and a half left of the game, Mass. Maritime scored, the game ending with a score of 20-3 in favor of Framingham. Bosma scored four goals out of four shots on goal in the 20-3 win against the Buccaneers. With a shot percentage of 100, her freshman season shot percentage has improved to 64.3. DeBellis won nine out of Framingham’s 18 draw controls. “Sometimes, I don't really have a set plan. … I’m pretty new to the draw this year, so I get nervous sometimes, but I kind of keep telling myself that when I walk onto that draw, I'm the better player - I'm winning this draw.” The Rams face the Bridgewater State University Bears for another away conference matchup April 19. DeBellis said she is excited for their upcoming conference games. “When we start on a strong note, we're setting that bar, and we want to keep reaching that goal. We keep telling ourselves, ‘There's more to come and we have to keep pushing ourselves and exceeding that level,’ and that's what's gonna help us win games.” Kendzulak said, “Being undefeated has our team playing the best we can to keep our winning streak. As long as we don’t give up and work our hardest, we have a good chance of winning the MASCAC.”