NORTHAMPTON, Mass.--After a postponement due to weather, the season does get under way for the Smith College lacrosse team, who host Western New England University (2-0) on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Bears have won the last nine meetings between the teams.
Last Meeting: A furious comeback fell just short as Western New England edged the Pioneers 18-14 in Springfield last season. WNE led 10-3 at halftime, but Smith scored the first three goals of the second half get the Pioneers back into the game.
Meaghan Fileti (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif./Palos Verdes) scored seven goals for Smith.
Last Smith Win: The Pioneers scored a 23-1 win over Western New England on April 16, 2001.
Smith Overview: Smith returns eight players from last year's ECAC runner-up squad, including sophomores
Jenny Estes (Falmouth, Mass./Falmouth) and
Jessica Lillquist (East Lyme, Conn./East Lyme), who scored 24 and 21 goals last year, respectively. This will be the season opener for Smith, after Thursday's game against Nichols was postponed.
Western New England Overview: The Golden Bears have won two straight to open the season, after a 15-14 comeback win over Mount Holyoke on Thursday. Mount Holyoke led 13-10 with 13:12 remaining, but Western New England closed the game by scoring five of the final six goals.
Smith Player to Watch: Senior
Mackenzie Bradley (Sherwood, Ore./Sherwood) leads a defense that returns all three starters from last season.
Western New England Player to Watch: Kaitlynn Stevens has 11 goals on the season, including five against Mount Holyoke.
Did you know? First year midfielder
Christina Vara (Hudson, Mass./Hudson)'s sister Marissa is a member of Smith's field hockey team.
