#8 Stonehill Seeks Redemption Against #2 Adelphi in Saturday’s NE-10 Semifinal


Junior Jessica Guisti and the Stonehill defense will look to put together another strong performance on Saturday against the top offense in the country. (PHOTO BY Shane Bufano)

Third-seeded Skyhawks to battle second-seeded Panthers in record 14th NE-10 semifinal appearance in Syracuse, N.Y.

Cover It Live Interactive Blog

EASTON, Mass. (May 4, 2012) – Third-seeded Stonehill College, ranked eighth in this week's Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division II poll, will square off against second-seeded and No. 2-ranked Adelphi University in semifinal round action of the 2012 Northeast-10 Conference women's lacrosse tournament, hosted by Le Moyne College at Niland Athletic Complex, on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Admission for this weekend's games will be $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for children and senior citizens and $1.00 for students from participating teams with valid ID. Saturday's game will also be webcast via www.lemoynedolphins.tv for $4.95 with live stats also available. Links to those multimedia options as well as a live interactive blog through Cover-it-Live will also be available through www.stonehillskyhawks.com.

Stonehill (14-4, 10-2 NE-10) advanced to the NE-10 semifinals for a record 14th-straight season with a dominant 15-3 triumph over sixth-seeded and No. 13 Merrimack College at W.B. Mason Stadium on Wednesday night. Senior All-American Samantha Lynott (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem East) and junior Kayla Green (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) led the Skyhawks offense as each totaled three goals and an assist. Junior All-American Rebecca Moore (Marlborough, Mass./St. Mark's School) matched her season high with 12 saves in goal for Stonehill, adding eight ground balls.

Stonehill has appeared in all 14 NE-10 Tournaments since the Conference started sponsoring the event in 1999. The Skyhawks have reached at least the semifinal round all 14 years to date and have won an NE-10 record nine championships – doing so consecutively from 2000 through 2008. Adelphi (14-2, 11-1 NE-10), who earned a first round bye, has won both NE-10 Tournament Championships since joining the league prior to the 2010 season.

The winner of tomorrow's game will advance to Sunday's championship in Syracuse to face the winner of Saturday's opening semifinal between fourth-seeded and 9th-ranked Bentley University (13-5, 9-3 NE-10) and top-seeded and host Le Moyne (15-1, 12-0 NE-10), the No. 1-ranked team in the country, that will start at 11 a.m. Sunday's final, which will be webcast free of charge via www.northeast10.tv, will start at either 11 a.m., or 1 p.m. Bentley reached the semifinals with a 9-8 triumph over fifth-seeded and No. 7-ranked University of New Haven on Wednesday night.


Junior Kayla Green leads the Skyhawks with 70 points, scoring 53 goals and dishing 17 assists. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes)

Stonehill enters tomorrow's game winners of five of its last seven after Wednesday's first round win. The Skyhawks rank third in the NE-10 for scoring (14th nationally) with 15.7 goals per game, while ranking fourth with a 9.46 team goals against average (11th). The Skyhawks are second in the league with 14.8 draw controls (19th) and 10.4 caused turnovers per game (12th), while clearing 76.9-percent of their chances for the year.

Green and fellow junior Heather Sullivan (Andover, Mass./Andover) have provided the bulk of scoring for Stonehill this season, combining for over 100 goals. Green leads the Skyhawks with 70 points (6th NE-10) on 53 goals (8th) and 17 assists (16th), while Sullivan has netted a team-high 54 goals (6th) to go with eight assists for 62 points (14th).

Junior All-American Kelsey Reilly (Hingham, Mass./Notre Dame Academy) has been dominant all over the field for Stonehill having shattered the program record with her Conference-best 114 draw controls this season (6th nationally). She has also totaled 40 goals and a team-high 20 assists (11th NE-10) for 60 points (16th) while also leading the Skyhawks with 56 ground balls (2nd) and 39 caused turnovers (2nd NE-10/6th nationally).

Lynott, who became the program's 11th 200-point scorer this season, has totaled 41 goals and 17 assists for 58 points in just 14 games played, while also contributing 45 draw controls and 21 caused turnovers. Classmate and All-American Sarah Galligan (West Newbury, Mass./Pentucket Regional) enters tomorrow's game seven points shy of becoming the program's 12th 200 point scorer with 27 goals and 16 assists for 43 points this season, adding 39 ground balls (17th) and 24 caused turnovers (7th).

Junior Jessica Guisti (Walpole, Mass./Northfield Mount Hermon), sophomore Lauren Bonagura (Rockville Center, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) and freshman Elizabeth Lane (Sandwich, Mass./Bishop Stang) lead the Stonehill defensive unit. Guisti is second on the team with 46 ground balls (8th NE-10) and 28 caused turnovers (6th).


Senior All-American Samantha Lynott has scored over 200 points in her career and will be a key player in midfield for the Skyhawks on Saturday. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes)

Moore has played 467:37 over ten games in goal for Stonehill and posted a 7.96 goals against average (4th NE-10) and .496 save percentage (3rd) with 6.1 saves per game. Freshman Ashley Armstrong (Northborough, Mass./Algonquin Regional) has posted a 10.61 goals against average (5th) and .486 save percentage (3rd) in 616:23 over 13 games in goal for the Skyhawks, averaging 7.9 saves per game.

Adelphi enters the postseason looking to rebound from a 13-11 setback to No. 3 LIU-C.W. Post in its regular season finale last Saturday to snap a nine game winning streak. The Panthers lead Division II in scoring with 19 goals per game, while ranking third in the NE-10 (4th nationally) with a 7.83 team goals against average. They are also averaging a Conference-best 16.5 draw controls and 11.5 caused turnovers per game. In addition to winning the last two NE-10 championships since joining the league, the Panthers have won three-straight NCAA Division II National Championships.

Senior Erica Devito (Shoreham, N.Y./Shoreham Wading River) leads the NE-10, ranking fourth nationally, with 94 points on 57 goals (3rd NE-10) and 37 assists (4th), while adding 36 draw controls and 11 caused turnovers. Sophomore Devan Crimi (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) has added 43 goals (14th) and 19 assists (13th) for 62 points (14th), while junior Sara Sangiorgio (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) has contributed 45 goals (12th) and seven assists for 52 points with 24 draw controls. Senior Marissa Mills (Islip, N.Y./Islip) rounds out the Panthers four 40-plus goal scorers with 44 goals (13th) and six assists for 50 points, adding 31 draw controls and 25 ground balls.

Sophomore Jordann Dempsey (Sparks, Md./Hereford) has seen the majority of time in goal for Adelphi and posted a 7.76 goals against average (2nd) and .393 save percentage, while averaging 4.5 saves, in 858:05 over 16 games. Junior Meg Brown (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) leads the Panthers with 45 ground balls (11th) and 23 caused turnovers (13th) with 29 draw controls, 35 goals and nine assists for 44 points.

Tomorrow will mark the 15th meeting all-time between these two programs, the fourth in postseason play and second in the NE-10 Tournament. Adelphi holds a 9-5 advantage in the all-time series, having won each of the last seven meetings after cruising to a 19-7 triumph at W.B. Mason Stadium on April 7. Devito and Crimi both totaled six points to lead Adelphi to its fourth straight win, with Devito posting three goals and three assists to go with four draw controls, while Crimi registered two goals and four assists. Dempsey finished with ten saves in goal for Adelphi, while Sullivan led Stonehill with three goals and three ground balls.

Adelphi won the lone NE-10 tournament meeting between the two with a 14-13 overtime triumph in the 2010 championship game in Garden City, N.Y. Moore posted a career-high 18 saves in the contest for Stonehill, while Adelphi erased a late two goal deficit to force overtime on its way to the win as Mills finished with two goals and an assist. The Panthers are 2-1 all-time in postseason play against the Skyhawks. 

2012 Northeast-10 Conference 
Women's Lacrosse Championships

First Round
Wednesday, May 2
#3 Stonehill 15, #6 Merrimack 3
#4 Bentley 9, #5 New Haven 8

Semifinals (hosted by Le Moyne College, Syracuse, N.Y.)
Saturday, May 5
#4 Bentley (13-5, 9-3 NE-10) at #1 Le Moyne (15-1, 12-0 NE-10), 11 a.m.
#3 Stonehill (14-4, 10-2 NE-10) vs. #2 Adelphi (14-2, 11-1 NE-10), 2 p.m.
Championship (hosted by Le Moyne, Syracuse, N.Y.)
Sunday, May 6
Semifinal winners, TBA* 

*- Sunday's game time depends on Le Moyne hosting both the men's and women's NE-10 Championship games.