Springfield Edges Women's Lacrosse in OT, 16-15

WESTFIELD, Mass. –  Springfield College's Jade O'Connor netted the game winner  33 seconds into overtime to give Springfield College a 16-15 win over Westfield State in a non-conference showdown on Wednesday night at Stagg Field.

 The Pride evened its record to 4-4 with the result, while the Owls dropped to 3-5 this season.

O'Connor rolled across the top of the fan from right to left and fired a high shot for the game winner.

The first half was closely contested throughout, with Springfield holding a 10-9 lead at the break.

The Pride extended their lead to 14-10 after three periods, but Westfield outscored the Pride 5-1 in the fourth quarter to force the overtime.  Westfield's Cassidy Harvey tallied the icebreaker just 15 seconds into the fourth quarter, and capped the scoring with an unassisted goal with 2:14 left in regulation.

Westfield State goalkeeper Kara Banagan came up big at the end of regulation, getting save on a bounce shot as time expired in regulation.   Banagan made 17 saves on the night, matching her career high.

Harvey led Westfield with four goals and an assist, Emma Cretella added three goals and two assists, and Megan Bailey scored a pair of goals for the Owls.

Jade O'Connor tallied four goals for Springfield, while Samantha Andresen led all scorers with six points on four goals and two helpers.  Maddie Roy added three goals and an assist. Emily McDermot finished the night with nine saves in the win.

Westfield has weathered a rugged portion of the schedule, dropping their last five games by a combined total of 11 goals, including two one goal losses, and two to nationally ranked teams.

The Owls will open conference play on Saturday, hosting Mass Maritime at Noon at Alumni Field.