Peterson's 5-Point Effort Keys Blue Lacrosse to 12-6 Win Over Framingham St.

WELLESLEY, Mass. – Senior Courtney Peterson (Glastonbury, Conn.) matched her career-high with five points, recording four goals and an assist, to lead Wellesley College lacrosse to a 12-6 non-conference victory over Framingham State on a frigid Wednesday afternoon at the Wellesley Fields Complex.

The Blue and the Rams both had to battle high winds and chilly temperatures during Wednesday's contest, but in the end it was Wellesley that improved to 3-2 overall, while dealing Framingham St. their first setback of the year to drop the Rams to 5-1. 

Peterson led all scorers, adding three ground balls and one caused turnover for the Blue. Sophomore Lena Engbretson (Beaverton, Ore.) orchestrated the offense with three assists, while also adding a goal, two ground balls and five draw controls. Senior Nikki Sharkin (Summit, N.J.) scored her second hat trick of the season and had a game-high six draw controls, as well as three ground balls and two caused turnovers. Classmate Mary Lemay (Longmeadow, Mass.) and first year Carley Phillips (Waterford, Conn.) also found the score sheet for the Blue, while sophomore Dacia Persky (Las Vegas, Nev.) added a pair of goals. Junior Jenna Mulrenan (Glen Ridge, N.J.) tied for game-high honors with four ground balls.

Junior Kimmy Foley (Mansfield, Mass.) poured in three goals to lead the visitors, scoring a hat trick while also adding an assist. First year Rylee Holmes (Hanson, Mass.) found the back of the net on a pair of occasions and senior Jessica Graham (Woburn, Mass.) chipped in with a goal for the Rams. First year Nicole Pacheco (Woburn, Mass.) added a strong effort on defense, causing three turnovers and scooping up four ground balls. Pacheco tied with Framingham St. goalkeeper Indigo Fox Tree-McGrath (Bedford, Mass.) and Wellesley's Mulrenan for game-high honors with four ground balls. 

Peterson scored the first of her four goals on an assist from Engrbretson at 28:43 of the first, as Wellesley went on to build a 4-1 lead over the first 11:25 of the opening half. Graham cut the Rams' deficit to 4-2 at 15:57, but back-to-back Wellesley goals from Persky and Peterson put Wellesley up 6-2 with 12:55 left in the half. Foley scored the only goal in the final 12:55 of the first, finishing on a feed from sophomore Shae Riley (Fairhaven, Mass.) at 8:00. Peterson scored three first half goals for the Blue, all on assists from Engbretson, as Wellesley enjoyed a 6-3 lead at the half.

The Blue put the game out of reach in the opening minutes of the second half, getting three-straight goals from Phillips, Engbretson and Persky to jump to a 9-3 lead. Framingham St. scored three of the next four goals in the game, including back-to-back markers from Riley at 12:21 and 9:25, but got no closer than a 10-6 deficit. Peterson deposited a free position chance at 8:02 and Lemay added an exclamation point to the Blue victory with her first of the game at 1:42 to help Wellesley close out the 12-6 final. 

Senior Wendy Nettleton (La Jolla, Calif.) and sophomore Chloe Tucker (San Ramon, Calif.) combined to make four saves in the Wellesley goal. Tree-McGrath turned back six shots in the setback. Wellesley had a commanding 31-15 edge in shots in the game.

Wellesley will now turn its attention to New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play, when they welcome Springfield College to the turf on Wednesday, March 29, at 4:00 PM. Framingham St. will host Eastern Conn. St. on Saturday, March 25, at 11:00 AM.