Springfield, Mass. - April 26, 2017 - Led by three goals from sophomore midfielder Amanda Nusbaum (Conway, N.H.), the Springfield College women's lacrosse team closed out its regular season with an 8-5 win over Emerson in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play at Stagg Field on Wednesday evening.

With the win, Springfield College, which was No. 8 in the NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Regional Rankings, improved to 12-4 overall and finished with an unblemished 8-0 record against conference opponents. The loss dropped Emerson to 6-10 on the year and 4-4 in league play.

Springfield College outshot the Lions, 23-20 over the course of 60 minutes, while also winning the ground ball battle, 20-11. The Pride, which went 14-for-14 on clears in the win, also secured eight draw controls to Emerson's six.

In net for the Pride, senior goalkeeper Gabby Anderson (Mahopac, N.Y.) had another strong showing, as she posted 12 saves, while for Emerson, junior goalkeeper Kristen Modica (East Moriches, N.Y.) finished with 12 stops in the setback. Also impressive on the defensive side of the field was Ann Mahoney (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.), as the junior finished with a game-high five caused turnovers and four ground balls.

Sophomore attacker Shelby Corsano (Bourne, Mass.) struck for the game's first goal at the 20:15 mark before the Pride netted three goals in a 2:30 span, including a pair Nusbaum. From there, junior Kayla Schroeher (Riverhead, N.Y.) added an unassisted strike at 14:13 to push the lead to 5-0, only to have the visitors get free-position strikes from Jemma Tomsky (Clinton, N.J.) and Meredith Weber (West Caldwell, N.J.) in the final 10:53 to make it a 5-2 contest at the break.

Corsano opened the second half with an inside roll and finish to make it 6-2, Pride, before Weber answered with one of her own to keep the Lions within three. With 19:44 on the clock, Nusbaum complete the hat trick with a free-position goal to make it 7-3, before Emerson pulled back to within three on Tomsky's second of the game.

After Megan Messuri (Stoneham, Mass.) cut the Lions' deficit to a pair, Taylor Kane (Woburn, Mass.) provided insurance with a free-position goal at the 13:06 mark. Anderson was able to defuse a late rally from Emerson with a slew of point-blank saves, as the Pride escaped with the three-goal win.

Next, Springfield College will return to Stagg Field on Saturday, May 8 when it hosts the NEWMAC Championship Semifinal.