Thirteen First-Half Goals Lift Smith College Past Women’s Lacrosse, 17-3

Box Score

CHICOPEE, Mass. – Elms College junior attacker Chelsey Grabowski (South Hadley, Mass.) scored two goals, but a five-goal effort from Smith College's Becky Bracken (Barrington, R.I.) allowed the Pioneers to post a 17-3 win over the Blazers in Wednesday evening's non-conference women's lacrosse game at Leary Field.

With the loss, Elms slides to 0-3 overall, while Smith improves to 2-3 on the season.

Smith struck early, netting five goals in the first nine minutes of play and totaled 13 in the period to establish a comfortable 13-2 lead at intermission.

Bracken scorched the net three times in the first 30 minutes, while Mary McGrath (Newton, Mass.) scored all four of her goals in the opening stanza.

Meaghan Fileti (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) helped pace the Pioneers' attack with three-first half assists and added two scores to highlight the first-half surge.

Elms' senior attacker Melissa Meon (South Hadley, Mass.) found the back of the net at the 9:37 mark to cut the lead to 9-1, and a score by Grabowski three minutes later pulled the Blazers to within eight at 10-2 with 6:31 to play in the frame.

Bracken tallied two more goals five minutes into the second half and Hiwot Kassaye (Silver Spring, Md.) and MK Pasini (Columbus, Ohio) each contributed a score to extend Smith's lead to 17-2.

With 8:58 remaining in the contest, Grabowski fired in her second goal of the afternoon to cap the scoring for both sides as the Pioneers claimed a 17-3 victory.

Pasini finished with two goals and three assists, while Sofia Nakhnikian-Weintraub (Eugene, Ore.) added two scores and two helpers.

Fileti scooped a game-high six groundballs, while Bracken added five. Goalkeeper Meredith Kallfelz (North Easton, Mass.) recorded one save and earned the victory.

Grabowski earned five draw controls and notched three groundballs, while Meon added three groundballs and caused two turnovers in the losing effort.

Junior goalkeeper Annette Dzidek (Chicopee, Mass.) finished with 12 saves, 10 of which came in the first half.

Elms begins its New England Women's Lacrosse Alliance (NEWLA) slate with a 1:00 p.m. contest at Castleton State College on Saturday, March 26.