Bridgewater State Women’s Lacrosse Team Headed for NCAA Tournament

By Glen Farley, The Enterprise (Brockton)

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. --The regular season ended as it began.

Just as it had at its start, the Bridgewater State University women’s lacrosse team put together an extended stretch of perfection to close the regular season.

Now the Bears are NCAA tournament bound.

“We knew the team had potential, but we really didn’t know how we were going to do,” BSU head coach Erika Smith said prior to her team’s practice on Monday. “It was great to have such a good start.

“I think that really jump-started everything that we’ve done. We also played some competitive teams in there, which was good. We had an overtime win (11-9) over Plymouth State, which was big for us. We’ve had some losses since then, but we’ve learned from them and we’re here.”

On Wednesday night at 7, the Bears (17-2) will be in Brunswick, Maine, to take on Bowdoin College (13-3) in the opening round of the NCAA Div. 3 Women’s Lacrosse Tournament, having earned the berth by virtue of their 13-10 over Westfield State in Saturday’s Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference championship game.

“At this level it’s just so competitive, but that’s where we want to be,” said Smith. “This is where we want to be – in the NCAA tournament.

“We know it’s the best of the best. It’s going to be really competitive, but we’re excited for the challenge. This is how the program gets better – from playing better competition, from playing in the NCAA tournament.”

This marks the fourth straight tournament appearance for the Bears, who opened the regular season with 10 straight wins, and then, after losing two of three, closed it with six wins in a row.

The team features seven players with 25 goals or more: Taylor Clancy (with 59), Jill Caramello (58), Riley Cachelin (51), Lauren Geary (44), Melanie Appleman (34), Alexis Hadcock (31) and Shelby Farland (25).

“We just work the ball around very well together,” said Clancy. “A lot of the girls are new, but we’ve clicked. We don’t have one girl that’s going to do everything and we know that it’s going to take a team effort, not an individual. Coach always puts an emphasis on that, too.”

Chandler Ross assumed the Bears’ starting goaltending duties in the fifth game of the season and has gone 13-2 with 88 saves, ranking in the top 10 in Div. 3 with a 6.81 goals against average.

“A really cool factor about our team,” said Smith, “is that before the season, four of our defenders had never played just defense.”

Olivia Galvin, Emily Mosca, Michelle Navoni and Sammi Salverio, a Whitman-Hanson Regional High School product, all took on that role this year.

Navoni earned All-MASCAC honors, making her one of six Bears to do so as she was joined by teammates Cachelin (attack), Caramello (attack), Clancy (midfielder), Farland (midfielder), Geary (midfielder) and Hadcock.

Now, though, thoughts aren’t on personal accomplishments, but on the challenge that awaits the team.

“We know they’re in the best Div. 3 conference in the country (the New England Small College Athletic Conference) and have a great ranking (eighth in the latest Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Div. 3 poll),” said Smith. “They’re going to be fast. They’re going to be athletic.

“It’s going to be a good challenge for us. They play a very competitive schedule so we know we’re up for a big challenge.”