GLASSBORO, N.J. - Junior attacker Madison Ratchford (Ridge, N.Y.) recorded a game-high eight points on five goals and three assists to lift the Western Connecticut State University women's lacrosse team to a 15-11 victory over the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament hosted by Rowan University on Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Wolves improved to 17-2 overall, advancing to the second round against host Rowan on Sunday. USMMA's season concluded at 13-3 overall.

Sophomore Isabella Pota (East Meadow, N.Y) and rookie Kyla Murnane (Bethpage, N.Y.) each tallied hat tricks for WestConn, while Little East Conference Goalkeeper of the Year Molly Bresnahan (Groton, Conn.) was stellar in between the pipes, turning aside 12 shots.

The Wolves drew first blood and eventually moved ahead 5-2 at the end of the opening quarter when senior attacker Savannah Kom (Danbury, Conn.) found the back of the twine to cap a four-goal run. USMMA retaliated with a spurt of their own in the second to knot the count at 6-6 when Amber Fields found the back of the net. However, WestConn would not surrender the advantage, countering with yet another four-goal flurry to head into the break up, 10-6. Ratchford put the finishing touches on the run with a pair of scoring strikes.

USMMA would not go down easily as they scored the first pair of markers in the third stanza, slicing the lead to 10-8. The Wolves answered with a momentum breaking tally when Kom scored a short-handed tally just before the horn, giving WestConn a 12-9 lead going into the final quarter. Ratchford connected on a pair of twine tinglers to begin the fourth, widening the gap to 14-9. USMMA cut it to 14-11 before Murnane capped off the victory with an unassisted goal with seven seconds remaining, sending the Wolves to the next round.

WestConn will seek to advance to the NCAA quarterfinals when they matchup against Rowan tomorrow. The winner will play at one of four regional sites next weekend.