Lancers' Second Half Surge Puts an End to Vikings' Season

Jose Rodriguez '24, Staff Writer | Media & Communications

WORCESTER, Mass. – Sixth seeded Salem State women's lacrosse traveled to Worcester State University to take on the third seeded Lancers for a quarterfinal matchup in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) tournament. A five goal- second stanza would give the Vikings the lead at halftime, however the Lancers would dominate the second half to take the 17-7 victory, ending the Vikings 2024 season with a record of 2-13.

For the Vikings, Kenzie Currey (Bel Air, Md.), Jenna Wells (Revere, Mass.) and Aislinn Bennett (Milford, Mass.) all recorded two goals while Bennett added two assists for the Vikings. Defensively, Nora Bradley (Haddon Township, N.J.) turned away 12 shots in the effort.

Four Lancers recorded hat tricks on the night, with Molly Witkowski (Greenville, N.Y.) adding four helpers to go with her three goals, while teammate Ashely Hurley (Feeding Hills, Mass.) dished out a game-high five assists in the Lancer's victory.

How it Happened

• The Lancers scored twice off passes from Hurley in the opening three minutes to take the early 2-0 tilt. However, Bennett would cut the Lancers lead in half before Currey found the back of the net to tie the game at two with 3:36 to play in the opening stanza.
• The Vikings claimed their first lead of the game after a pair of goals to open the second quarter made it a 4-3 game. The game would reach a five-goal stalemate with 6:03 to play in the half before the duo of Bennett and Currey once again strung together unanswered goals to help their squad to the 7-6 advantage at the break.
• The Lancers dominated the third frame as they scored seven unanswered goals, with three of them coming from a Hurley helper, to take the 13-7 lead heading into the final 15 minutes of action.
• The Lancers would complete the second half shutout, while notching another four goals in the fourth, to seal the 17-7 victory and advance to the MASCAC semifinals.  

Noteworthy

• With their two goals on the night, Currey and Bennett recorded their sixth multi-goal game of the season while Wells notched her eighth.
• The Vikings five-goal second stanza is the most they have scored in a single-quarter all season.
• With her two goals tonight, Jenna Wells closed her career as a Viking with 61 goals, putting her at eighth all-time for the Salem State women's lacrosse program.
• The Vikings will graduate Jessica Robert (North Reading, Mass.), Brenna Greene (Methuen, Mass.), Kaia Hollingsworth (Methuen, Mass.), Catherine Lawrence (Guilford, Conn.), Jenna Wells, and Carmen Lieberth (Naples, Fla.)