NEWTON, Mass. – Simmons Lacrosse fell to the Lasell College Lasers in the final 20 seconds of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship, 15-14 Sunday afternoon in their first trip to the conference finals in program history. The Sharks chipped away at a four-goal deficit in the second half to tie the game with 44 seconds remaining. But the Lasers won the final draw control to solidify the win.

Rachel Wallace (Braintree, Mass.) netted five goals to pace the Sharks offense, Stephanie Oliveri (Waltham, Mass.) added four goals and one assist, while Greer Gilbert (Falmouth, Mass.) scored three times and Callie Warnock (Kingston, Mass.) scored a pair of goals on the afternoon. Crystal Derosier (Kingston, Mass.) stopped eight shots while taking the loss in the goal for Simmons College.

Britney Wuorio started the scoring with an unassisted goal two minutes into the opening half, and Oliveri evened the game at 1-1 with 26:28 remaining in the game. Slattery put Lasell back in front on a free position and Doherty took a feed from Slattery and fired it into the cage to give Lasell a 3-1 lead. Warnock brought Simmons back within a goal at 3-2 with 19:50 to play in the first half, but the Lasers answered with three unanswered goals to take a 6-2 lead with 8:55 remaining in the half.

Wallace netted a pair of goals thirty seconds apart, and Gilbert notched an unassisted goal with 5:56 remaining to bring Simmons back within a goal at 6-5. Wuorio scored to put Lasell back up by two goals, and consecutive goals by Brecher put Lasell back in control with a 9-5 lead. Wallace finished a feed in transition with five seconds remaining in the first half to cut the Lasell lead back to 9-6 heading into the half.

Simmons cut their deficit to two with a goal by Oliveri a minute and a half into the second half, but Lasell pushed their lead back to four goals at 11-7 with consecutive unassisted goals by Wuorio and Bridget Munnelly with 26:11 remaining in the game.

Simmons responded with three straight goals by Wallace, Oliveri and Gilbert to cut the Lasell lead to 11-10 with 19:49 left in the contest. Rebecca Stanton found a cutting Doherty on the crease whose shot found the back of the net and a Brecher tally on a pass from Slattery put Lasell on top 13-10 with ten minutes to play in the game. Gilbert and Wuorio traded goals leaving Lasell in front with just over five minutes to play.

The Sharks would not go quietly, as Oliveri scored on a free position attempt with 4:47 to play, and Rachel Wallace converted a transition opportunity with 2:09 left in the contest to make it a 14-13 game and set up the late game drama.

Simmons controlled the ensuing draw and after a retaining possession following a failed free position shot, Warnock beat Long in the top corner of the cage, tying the game at 14-14 with 44 seconds remaining.

Lasell came out of a timeout and Stanton collected the draw for the Lasers, and fed a cutting Caitlyn Brecher heading to the goal. Wuorio slipped a defender and curled in front of the net where Brecher fed her for the game-winning goal with 20 seconds remaining in the game. Lasell grabbed the final draw of the game and ran out the final 20 seconds to secure the win.

Simmons wraps up the 2013 campaign with a 10-4 record.