Springfield, Mass. - May 2, 2015 - Behind a career-best three goal performance from freshman attack Shelby Corsano (Bourne, Mass.) including the game-winning free-position strike with 2:35 remaining, the top-seeded Springfield College women's lacrosse team defeated Wheaton, 5-4, on a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Stagg Field.

With the win, Springfield, ranked No. 19 in the latest Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) National Poll, improves to 15-2 and advances to play in the NEWMAC Championship game for the sixth time in the last seven seasons and will take on the winner of second-seeded MIT and No. 3 Wellesley on Sunday, May 3 at 1 p.m. on Stagg Field.

Along with Corsano's three goals, senior midfielder Michelle Dorsey (Wilbraham, Mass.) registered a goal and an assist in the victory. In net, sophomore goalkeeper Gabriella Anderson (Mahopac, N.Y.) posted seven saves and claimed her 15th victory of the season.

For Wheaton, Katy Ananian (Belmont, Mass.) posted an outstanding 12-save effort between the pipes, 10 of which came in the opening stanza, while Allie Bush (Kennebunk, Maine) and Ava Myette (Brattleboro, Vt.) each registered two-point performances in the loss.

The Lyons held a 20-19 advantage in shots on the afternoon, while Springfield grabbed six draw controls, over Wheaton's five. The Pride out shot the Lyon's 26-16 in the contest, including a 15-3 advantage in the opening stanza

Springfield struck first behind a goal from Corsano just 9:14 into the contest when she fired a shot past Ananian to give the Pride a 1-0 advantage. Just 51 seconds later, Myvette took a pass from Bush behind the net and found the back of the net to even the game at one goal apiece.

Corsano broke the tie open at the 11:57 mark of the first half, as she took a pass from Dorsey and bounced a shot into the bottom-left corner of the net to give Springfield a 2-1 lead, an advantage the Pride would carry into the halftime break.

Bush opened the second half with a free-position strike just 1:45 into the stanza to even the game at two, before Dorsey pumped in a free-position goal of her own with 19:44 left in the contest to give Springfield back its one-goal advantage. 

After taking a pass from Heather Raniolo (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) in the right alley, junior midfielder Kristina Krull (Leicester, Mass.) dodged to the middle of the field and bounced a shot past Ananian to give the Pride a 4-2 lead with 12:04 left in the game.

At the 8:55 mark, Myette took a pass from Jenna Tewksbury (Concord, N.H.) in the middle of the field and placed a shot into the right side of the net to cut Wheaton's deficit to one, before Brooke Sabol (Landgrove, Vt.) capitalized on a free-position shot with 6:47 remaining to even the score at four goals apiece. 

With 2:35 remaining, Corsano found the back of the net on a free-position chance after getting fouled in the middle of the field to help the Pride regain its one-goal lead, as she completed her first-career hat trick.