By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Her first semester of college was spent at Southern New Hampshire University after being recruited to play women's lacrosse.

Meredith Sylvia (Dartmouth, Mass.) did not feel a connection at the Manchester, N.H., college, though, so she decided to transfer elsewhere in January 2023.

Sylvia got in touch with a classmate at Dartmouth High School, someone she had known since fourth grade, to inquire about a school and lacrosse program closer to home.

Katie Lamothe (Dartmouth, Mass.) was in her first year at Bridgewater State University, getting ready for her rookie season with the Bears, when Sylvia asked about a possible move there.

"Katie said how much she enjoyed the team and loved our coach (Erica Adams) and the culture," recalled Sylvia. "She just told me that everyone is nice and inviting. They'll never have any ill intent towards you. Everyone was together.

"I said, 'If I transfer there, do you think I'd like it?' She said, 'Yes, of course.,'

"Ever since, I've loved the team and BSU lacrosse."

Sylvia enrolled at BSU for the spring semester of '23 and a month later was in the starting lineup for the season opener at Wheaton College.

That marked the start of a solid and productive four-year career for Sylvia, a midfielder and two-time captain for the Bears who earned All-Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference first team honors in 2025.

The end of her career is drawing hear with BSU finishing the regular season at Framingham State on Saturday morning and opening the MASCAC tournament with a quarterfinal-round game at home next Tuesday.

Sylvia has been a regular in the lineup all four years, starting 64 of the 70 games she's appeared in.

The physical education major ranks 12th in career goals with 147, tied for 17th with 179 points, fourth in caused turnovers with 106, seventh with 167 groundballs and eighth with 159 draw controls.

Sylvia has been a versatile player on the field and a leader on and off the field for the Bears.

This season, she leads BSU with 37 goals and 49 points, is tied for the lead with 35 groundballs, is second with 31 draw controls and third with 24 caused turnovers.

"She's been very stable and reliable," said Adams. "She has a great work ethic and great leadership. We're pretty lucky that we can depend on her for pretty much anything.

"She understands the game really well. She has a good IQ and is able to read situations and adjust pretty quickly and contribute offensively, defensively, in transition."

Despite having little time to get accustomed to BSU lacrosse before the '23 season opener, Sylvia scored 21 goals with an assist in 17 games, including 11 starts as a freshman transfer.

"Eventually I got into the swing of things," said Sylvia. "I didn't have time to learn all the plays or the defenses. Coach had the trust in me that I had a good lax IQ. I played defense, midfield and attack the first year. I never had one set position.

"It was definitely a little bit tough at first. I was playing with girls that I had never played with before. I had to learn their styles. They had to adjust to my style. But everyone took me in as their own. Everyone was very inviting."

Adams could see right away that Sylvia was going to be a player who was going to make contributions in a variety of areas.

"She did a great job that first year," said Adams. "We asked her to play a lot of different positions. We were trying to figure out where she would be most valuable to this team and where she felt the most comfortable.

"Obviously transferring in to a new team is a challenge, but she ran with it, never complained, just did what we asked her to do, whether it was playing attack or defense or being in the midfield."

As a sophomore in 2024, Sylvia upped her scoring production to 35 goals with six assists and was the Bears' second-leading goal scorer and point producer as a junior with 54 goals and 67 points. She also led the team with 41 caused turnovers and 63 groundballs during a 14-5 season.

With seniors Camryn Gonsalves and Erin McIntyre having 41 and 16 assists, respectively, last spring, Sylvia took advantage of their playmaking.

"I just felt like we all worked so well together," she said. "I'm a cutter and catch-and-finisher. Cammy and Erin were always passing me the ball and I was always in the right place at the right time and that helped a lot.

"Those seniors boosted my confidence so much. They'd tell me, 'You can do anything you put your mind to.' I'm very glad I had upperclassmen to encourage me, tell me I can do X, Y and Z."

Sylvia is one of just three seniors on the team this season, and the Bears have 15 freshmen and sophomores.

There has been a learning curve for BSU (6-10), but the Bears are 4-2 in the MASCAC and have won three games in a row.

BSU has needed the leadership that Sylvia provides in her second year as a captain.

"She just leads by example," said Adams. "She talks about doing the best we can and bringing the effort every day. She shares the knowledge of the game with the younger players. That's been huge for us this year."

In addition to being the top scorer, Sylvia is doing all the little things as she has since arriving at BSU.

"I like, especially, defensive statistics," she said. "I love groundballs and caused turnovers. It shows I play everywhere and with a head of steam to get the ball at all times."

Sylvia has at least two more games wearing a BSU uniform, and she's hoping the Bears can continue their late-season improvement and win a MASCAC championship next week.

The move from Southern New Hampshire to Bridgewater State worked out just fine for Sylvia, who is eyeing a career as a physical education teacher.

"I'm so happy," she said. "I can't even think about if I didn't transfer here. My life would be completely different.

"Lacrosse-wise and socially-wise, I've had a great time at BSU."