Bush sets single-season assist record in loss

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – First-seeded Springfield College edged fourth-seeded Wheaton College, 5-4, in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Women's Lacrosse Tournament semifinal round on Saturday afternoon at Stagg Field.

First-year attack Shelby Corsano (Bourne, Mass./Bourne) paced all scorers with a career-high three goals, including the game-winning free-position strike with 2:35 remaining, to advance the No. 19 nationally ranked Pride to the NEWMAC Championship game for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.

Springfield will take on the winner of second-seeded MIT and third-seeded Wellesley on Sunday, May 3 at 1 p.m. on Stagg Field. Wheaton's season comes to a close at 10-8 overall.

Pride senior midfielder Michelle Dorsey (Wilbraham, Mass./Minnechaug) also registered a goal and an assist in the victory, while sophomore goalkeeper Gabriella Anderson (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac) posted seven saves to claim her 15th victory of the season.

Wheaton senior goalkeeper Katy Ananian (Belmont, Mass./Belmont) posted an outstanding 12-save effort between the pipes, ten of which came in the opening stanza. Junior Ava Myette (Brattleboro, Vt./Brattleboro) potted a team-high two markers, while classmates Allie Bush (Kennebunk, Maine/Kennebunk) and Brooke Sabol (Landgrove, Vt./Burr & Burton Academy) each registered a goal in the loss.

Bush also added an assist in the contest to set the all-time single-season assist mark at 42 total. Bush surpassed Hailey Colburn's '12 previous record of 41, established in 2012.

The Lyons held a 20-19 advantage in shots on the afternoon. Springfield won the draw control matchup, 6-5, and outshot Wheaton 26-16, which included a 15-3 differential in the opening stanza.

Springfield struck first behind a goal from Corsano just 9:14 into the contest when she fired a shot past Ananian to give the Pride a 1-0 advantage. Just 51 seconds later, Myette took a pass from Bush behind the net and rifled home a goal to even the score at 1-1.

Corsano broke the tie open at the 11:57 mark of the first half, as she took a pass from Dorsey and bounced a shot into the bottom-left corner of the net to give Springfield a 2-1 lead, an advantage the Pride carried into the halftime break.

Bush opened the second half with a free-position strike just 1:45 into the stanza to even the game at two, before Dorsey pumped in a free-position goal of her own with 19:44 left in the contest to give Springfield back its one-goal advantage.

After taking a pass from Heather Raniolo (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) in the right alley, junior midfielder Kristina Krull (Leicester, Mass./Phillips Exeter) dodged to the middle of the field and bounced a shot past Ananian to give the Pride a 4-2 gap on the scoreboard with 12:04 left in the game.

At the 8:55 mark, Myette took a pass from junior Jenna Tewksbury (Concord, N.H./Concord) in the middle of the field and placed a shot into the right side of the net to cut Wheaton's deficit to one. Sabol then capitalized on a free-position shot with 6:47 remaining to knot the score at four goals apiece.

With 2:35 remaining, Corsano found the back of the net on a free-position chance after getting fouled in the middle of the field to help the Pride regain its one-goal lead, as she completed her first-career hat trick.

The Lyons proceeded to take a timeout after Springfield's strike and eventually gained possession with 1:36 left to play securing a chance to even the score. Wheaton had two scoring chances down the stretch, but Anderson stopped the Blue and White's best opportunity, a free position attempt with 1:11 remaining, to close out the win.

Bush finishes her junior season ranked seventh all-time in program history with 165 points, while Sabol is positioned in a tie for eighth place with 160 points.

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