NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - The Smith College lacrosse team opened its 2025 campaign with a loss against Western Connecticut, falling 15-3 on Wednesday afternoon at Smith Turf Field. 

Game Highlights

• Kyra Hawk (San Jose, CA/The Harker School) led the Smith attack, scoring twice—including the team's first goal of the season in the opening quarter and another late in the fourth.
• Layna Fitzgerald (Indianapolis, IN/Cathedral) found the back of the net in the fourth quarter off an assist from Jenna Paczkowski (Jupiter, FL/Choate Rosemary Hall), marking her first goal of the season.
• Caroline Sanders (Orange County, CA/Santa Margarita Catholic)  played a pivotal role in transition, forcing three turnovers.
• Goalkeepers Brooke Testa (Pittstown, NJ/Delaware Valley)  and Shannon Houtenville (East Windsor, NJ/Highstown)  combined for 11 saves, with Houtenville making four key stops in the second quarter to keep the Pioneers within striking distance.

How It Happened

Western Connecticut opened the scoring at the 8:18 mark of the first quarter and quickly extended its lead to 4-0 before Hawk answered for Smith with 3:50 left in the period. The visitors added another late goal to take a 5-1 lead into the second.

Smith's defense tightened in the second quarter, with Sanders and Jordan Hoffman (Portland, OR/Jesuit)  disrupting the Wolves' offensive flow. Houtenville made key saves, but the Wolves capitalized on a player advantage to add three more goals before halftime, making it 7-1.

The third quarter saw the opponent's offense surge, as the visitors netted six goals while holding Smith scoreless. However, the Pioneers regrouped in the fourth, with Fitzgerald scoring off a feed from Paczkowski, and Hawk adding her second goal of the game. WestConn added two more late tallies to secure the victory.

Up Next

Smith will look to bounce back this weekend as they travel to face Western New England on Saturday at 1pm. 

About Smith Athletics: Smith College is a 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, and Instagram.