DANBURY, Conn. -  Senior attack Caroline Galligan (Marshfield, Mass.) scored a game-high four goals and the Western Connecticut State University women's lacrosse defenders held Little East Conference defending champions Plymouth State College  to just four goals in a thrilling 9-4 victory at the Westside Athletic Complex on Saturday afternoon.

Galligan's fourth and final goal of the afternoon came with 1:23 remaining in the first half and proved to be the game-winning goal as the Colonials took a 5-3 lead into intermission then allowed just one marker  by the visitors the rest of the way.  Galligan now has 23 goals in five games.

WestConn, now 5-0 overall and in the LEC, sit atop the league standings with a pair of games remaining in the regular season.  The Colonials play host to University of Massachusetts Dartmouth on Wednesday, April 21 at 5 pm.  They wrap up the regular season at head coach Meghan Els' alma meter Castleton University next Saturday. 

"It was a very intense game out there today," acknowledge Els.  "Both teams knew how important this game was and left it all out there.  I cannot say enough about our defense today and all season.  They pestered a quality team this afternoon and gave our offense a chance to control that side of the field."

Freshman Victoria Gracy (Bethel, Conn.) and Dominique DeMarsico (Danbury, Conn.) each added two goals for the winners.  Sophomore Alexa Riggio (North Massapequa, N.Y.) chipped in a goal and had a ground ball.  Gracy filled the boxscorewith five draw controls, a pair of ground balls and one caused turnover.

The Colonials finished with a 25-15 advantage on the scoop and collected nine of 14 draws today.

Sophomore Anna Schipf (Babylon, N.Y.) was stellar between the pipes for WestConn.  she made five saves on Saturday.  She and the defensive crew held the Panthers to just 10 shots over the 60 minutes.

Leading the way for PSU, now 4-1 overall and in the league, was Olivia Croke (Norwell, Mass.) with two goals.  Tarryn O'Brien (Weymouth, Mass.) and Sydney Dubois (Goffstown, N.H.) added the remaining tallies in the loss.

Since the LEC started crowning champions in 2002 the Panthers have captured eight titles including the first three and are the three-time defending champions dating back to 2017.  The 2020 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Senior Meaghan Allard (Amherst, N.H.) withstood a barrage of shots from the Colonials, 31 in all, and made 11 saves for the Panthers.

PSU plays host to University of Southern Maine this Tuesday, April 20.  Draw control is slated for 4 pm in the Granite State.