FREDONIA, NY – The Buffalo State women's lacrosse team earned a hard-fought, 15–9, road win over rivals, Fredonia Blue Devils, in this season's 'Battle by the Lake' matchup...extending win streak to six games.

THE BASICS

FINAL SCORE: Buffalo State – 15, Fredonia - 9
LOCATION: Turf Field – Fredonia, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 11-2 (5-0 SUNYAC), Fredonia: 7-6 (2-3 SUNYAC)

INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• Vanessa Willick (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville East) led the charge for the Bengals with six-goals and two-assists for an eight-point performance. Lauren Rinow (Lakeview, NY/Frontier) and Kira Grzechowiak (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West) backed her up with four-goals each. Rounding out the scoring for the Bengals was Emilee Josker (Hamburg, NY/Frontier) with one-goal.
• Defensively, Willick's 10 draw controls not only led the Bengals but pushed her to 109 draw controls for the season...breaking the Buffalo State women's lacrosse program record for most draw controls in a single-season, with the previous record being set with 103. Willick also picked up three groundballs, with Dejah Evans-Murphy (Auburn, NY/Auburn) joining the fun, with three-groundballs also. Willick finished her all-around game with a team-high forced four turnovers to lead the Bengals. Brielle Lum (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara-Wheatfield) would hold the Blue Devils between the net, making eight-saves in today's matchup.  
• As a team, the Bengals outshot the Blue Devils 37-21, with the Bengals pulling down 15 draw controls.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Off to one of the best starts in program history, the Buffalo State Bengals looked to keep their hot streak alive against their rivals, the Fredonia Blue Devils. But the opening quarter didn't go as planned, as the Blue Devils struck first with back-to-back goals. Shaken early, the Bengals managed to find the back of the net, only for the Blue Devils to answer again. While the Bengals added another goal before the quarter ended, they still found themselves trailing in this heated rivalry matchup.
• The Blue Devils carried their momentum into the second quarter with an early strike. Though the Bengals responded, the Blue Devils stayed in rhythm, adding two more goals midway through the quarter. A Bengals goal momentarily quieted the Fredonia crowd, but the Blue Devils answered once again in the final minute, sending the Bengals into halftime down by three.
• Coming out of the break, it looked as if the Blue Devils still had the upper hand, outscoring the Bengals 2–1 early in the third. But these Bengals were built different. With renewed energy, they flipped the script, rattling off seven straight unanswered goals, easily their best stretch of the season, turning a three-goal deficit into a three-goal lead heading into the fourth.
• Riding a wave of momentum, the Bengals leaned on their defense and standout goalie Lum in the final quarter. Despite the Blue Devils' best efforts, the Bengals pitched a shutout in the fourth, while tacking on three more goals to seal the comeback win. The dominant second-half performance extended their win streak in the 'Battle by the Lake' rivalry to four-straight.

FOR THE FOES

• The Blue Devils saw four players tally two-goals in: Jenna Slamka, Kiera Young, Mieley Baran and Noelle Mendez.
• Ashleigh Manns and Jessica Kowalski both had time in net, with Manns making five-saves and Kowalski making three.

UP NEXT
The Bengals will finish their road portion of the season, making a final stop in New Paltz, as they battle the Hawks on Saturday, April 12^th at 11:00 A.M.