Westfield State women's lacrosse's sensational post-season run came to an end on Saturday as the Owls fell to #9-ranked University of Mary Washington, 20-5 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament at Smith Field on the Wesleyan University campus in Middletown, Conn.
Westfield State got off to a fast start, winning the opening draw and scored just 46 seconds later as Marissa Nimeskern found the back of the net on a free position goal.
Mary Washington evened the score at 1-1 with a tally from Hope Lockwood just 1:01 later, which began a 5-0 run for the Eagles where they seized control of the game.
Nimeskern added her second of the game at the 18:05 mark with an extra-man goal to trim the lead back to 5-2, however again Mary Washington began a sustained run, scoring the next seven goals to lead 12-2.
Westfield cut the lead to 12-3 with a goal from Alexa Tonelli 35 seconds before halftime.
Mary Washington's Julia Albert added two of her game-high six goals in the first six-minutes of the second half to extend the eagles lead.
Sam Donohoe and Lucy Barrett added second half goals for the Owls.
Westfield State senior goalkeeper Maria Woodall played a strong game between the pipes with 15 saves in 50 minutes of play. Nimeskern led the Owls with two goals and an assist.
Mary Washington held big advantages in draw controls (20-7), and shots (42-14) and forced 16 Westfield turnovers to the Eagles' nine.
Westfield's season comes to an end with an 11-10 overall record. The Owls and their 10-player senior class battled through an uneven season, where they started 2-0 before enduring a seven game skid at mid-season, before rallying to win six straight, including three MASCAC playoff games, including the semifinals and championship games on the road to earn their third-straight NCAA Tournament bid.
Mary Washington advances to play host and #8-ranked Wesleyan tomorrow in the second round of the NCAA's.