By Jim Fenton
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Senior Meredith Sylvia (Dartmouth, Mass.) ended her Bridgewater State University women's lacrosse career in style this spring.
The midfielder was selected the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year after leading the Bears in goals and points.
Sylvia was also chosen to the All-MASCAC first team for the second straight season.
Three other BSU players -- sophomore attack Sophia Fleurent (Fairhaven, Mass.), sophomore goalkeeper Sara Skaff (Lowell, Mass.) and freshman defender Hannah Bettencourt (Peabody, Mass.) -- were selected to the all-conference second team.
BSU finished third in the MASCAC with a 5-2 record and went 8-11 overall.
The Bears defeated Salem State University, 12-9, to open the conference tournament before losing to8 Westfield State University, 9-8, on a goal in the final minute of the semifinal-round game.
The last BSU player to earn Offensive Player of the Year honors was Emily Hiller in 2021. Lauren Geary (2016), Melissa Renauld (2017), Victoria McDonough (2019) and Kelsi Brennan (2022) also garned conference player of the year honors during Erica Adams' coaching tenure.
Sylvia scored 46 goals with 15 assists for 61 points in 18 games. She also had 42 groundballs and 38 draw controls to finish second on the team in those categories.
Sylvia finished with 156 goals and 35 assists for 191 points in 73 career games.
She ranks 11th on the BSU career list in goals and 16th in points.
With 111 caused turnovers, Sylvia finishes four on the Bears' all-time list and is fifth with 174 groundballs and seventh with 166 draw controls.
Sylvia had at least two goals in eight of the final nine games this season. She scored five goals against Fitchburg State on April 18 and again in the MASCAC tourney against Salem State on April 28.
As a junior, Sylvia scored 54 goals with 13 assists for 67 points.
Fleurent was second on BSU in goals with 35, assists with 18 and points with 53. As a freshman, she started six games and scored five goals.
Fleurent led the Bears with 94 draw controls and had 31 groundballs.
She scored a career-best five goals against Worcester State on April 4.
Bettencourt was a key to the BSU defense in her first collegiate season. She started all but one of the 19 games and had 25 groundballs and 11 caused turnovers.
Skaff was the MASCAC Rookie of the Year in 2025.
This season, she started 18 of 19 games and posted a 11.09 goals against average with 118 saves and a .424 save percentage while winning eight games.