GAME INFORMATION
Score: Smith 14, Western New England 2
Records: Smith College 1-0; Western New England 0-2 
Location: Golden Bear Stadium - Springfield, Mass.

The Smith College lacrosse team defeated Western New England University, 14-2, in the season opener for the Pioneers on Wednesday in non-conference action.

SMITH HIGHLIGHTS

• Senior midfielder Caroline Myran (Philadelphia, Pa./Germantown Friends School) powered Smith with a seven-point effort, as she scored a career-high five goals and set up two others while also recording eight ground balls, four caused turnovers and three draw controls.
• Senior attack Julia Hamilton (Williamstown, Mass./Deerfield Academy)  was also a key offensive contributor for the Pioneers with three goals and one assist.
• Goalkeeper Sarah Price (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) made eight saves and collected four ground balls. 

WNEU HIGHLIGHTS

• Junior Kristen Breen and sophomore Marissa Staffu both scored for Western New England, while Breen also collected four ground balls and one cause
• Netminder Shannon McFadden registered seven saves in the loss.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Hamilton opened the scoring for Smith 4:20 into the contest, and the Pioneers went up 3-0 at the 23:50 mark on Myran's first goal of the afternoon.

Breen scored on a feed from sophomore Eileen Ruby to get the Golden Bears on the board 52 seconds later, but Smith answered with four straight tallies to open up a 7-1 advantage with 11:28 left in the first half.

Staffu converted a free position opportunity for her first goal of the season with 7:48 on the clock as Western New England cut its deficit to five (7-2). Myran (4:35) and Hamilton (0:11) both struck for the visitors later in the half, however, as Smith established a 9-2 cushion at the break.

The Pioneers outscored the Golden Bears 5-0 in the second half with five different goal scorers to extend the final margin to 12.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Shots: SMI 27 / WNE 24
• Ground Balls: SMI 46 / WNE 41
• Clears: SMI 22-31 / WNE 15-27
• Draw Controls: SMI 13 / WNE 5
• Free Position Shots: SMI 6-11 / WNE 1-6

GAME NOTES

• The Pioneers are now 1-2 in season openers under head coach Katie Moore.
• Smith's victory over the Golden Bears is their first since the 2001 season.
• Hamilton needs just two goals for 100 in her career.
• First-year Bryn Murray scored her first career goal in today's win.

UP NEXT
Smith travels to Simmons College on Saturday, March 3 for an 11:00 a.m. contest.

(Portions of this recap courtesy to WNE Athletics)

About Smith Athletics: Smith College is an NCAA Division III member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference that sponsors 11 intercollegiate sports. For more information log on to smithpioneers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.