Women's Lacrosse Falls to JWU in GNAC Semifinals

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The season came to an end on Tuesday evening for the Regis (Mass.) women's lacrosse team, as the Pride suffered a 19-4 defeat to Johnson & Wales University in the semifinals of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference tournament at the Scotts Miracle-Gro Athletics Complex.

With the loss, the top-seeded Wildcats (16-2) advance to the GNAC Championship, where they will face Lasell College, who defeated Mount Ida in other semifinal action on Tuesday. The Pride's season comes to an end with a record of 13-5.

Johnson & Wales had the offense working early in the ballgame. Freshman Dani Lydecker (Valley Cottage, N.Y.) opened the scoring just 39 seconds in and the Wildcats were off and running. Lydecker's second goal stretched the Wildcats lead to 2-0 three minutes later, before Regis sophomore Bridget Dowling (Hanover, Mass.) put the Pride on the board, cutting the deficit to 2-1.

The Pride could not maintain the momentum after Dowling's tally however, as the Wildcats would score the game's next six goals before Dowling scored again, cutting the deficit to 8-2 with just under 10 and a half minutes remaining in the first half.

A goal from Cat Nolan (Center Moriches, N.Y.) and a pair from Juliana Giello (Warwick, N.Y.) in the closing minutes of the period sent the game to the half with a score of 11-2 Wildcats.

Johnson & Wales kept its foot on the pedal to open the second half, as junior Allison Pazienski (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) scored 32 seconds into the half to extend the Wildcats lead to 12-2.

The Wildcats scored the half's first five goals before Regis freshman Rachel Nadeau (Coventry, Conn.) found the back of the net to make the score 16-3 with 10:42 remaining. Kerri Anselmo (Natick, Mass.) would also tally in the final minutes of the ballgame on a free position goal for the Pride, as the game came to a close at 19-4.

Pazienski finished the night with a game-high six goals for the Wildcats, while Giello, Nolan, Lydecker, and Raquel Pederzani (Coventry, R.I.) all netted three goals for the hosts.

Regis senior goalkeeper Maresa Malcolm (Barrington, N.J.) made 13 saves in net in 47:44 in the loss. Freshman Brittany McPherson (Lynn, Mass.) came into the game in relief, making a pair of saves in the second half. The win went to JWU's Cassidy O'Hara (Mashpee, Mass.), who made three saves.

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