Bridgewater, MA –The Bridgewater State College women's lacrosse team captured their third straight New England Women's Lacrosse Alliance (NEWLA) Tournament championship and fifth overall as the Bears downed Castleton State College, 21-9, this afternoon in Bridgewater.

Bridgewater (15-4) will advance to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament for only the second time in program history and first since 2003.  The Bears have now won 11 straight games.  Castleton (13-6) will now await word on a possible ECAC Tournament bid. 

Senior midfielder Shannon Manning (Framingham, MA), the NEWLA Offensive Player of the Year, paced the host Bears with a game-high seven goals to go along with six draw controls.  Senior attack Katie DeMaio (Port Jefferson Station, NY) and junior attack Jenny Jones (Framingham, MA) each added four goals and an assist.

The game was close early with Bridgewater holding a 6-5 advantage with just over nine minutes remaining in the first half.  From that point on, the Bears dominated play as they held the Spartans to just one goal over the next 38 minutes.  Bridgewater outscored Castleton 14-1 over that period.

Senior goaltender Meghan Griffin (Billerica, MA) was outstanding between the pipes for the Bears as she made 12 saves.  Griffin, NEWLA Goalkeeper of the Year, set the program record for wins with her 15th of the year.  She also increased her season save total to 185 as she is only seven saves shy of the school mark of 192 set by Karen Rapchuk in 1986.

Junior defenders Erin Quimby (Chelmsford, MA) and Kasey Sheehan (Bridgewater, MA) anchored a stong defensive unit in front of Griffin.  Quimby caused a pair of turnovers and also tallied a goal and an assist.  Sheehan forced three turnovers and notched three ground balls as well.

Sophomore midfielder Angelica Mazzola (Centerport, NY) potted three goals for the Castleton, while Nicole Adams (Rutland, VT) dished out a game-high four assists.  Freshman netminder Lily Derbyshire (Little Compton, RI) turned aside seven shots in goal for the Spartans.

Courtesy of: Bridgewater State Sports Information