#11 Stonehill Drops #10 Dowling on Senior Day, 16-12


Junior Kelsey Shannahan played a role in eight of the Skyhawks 16 goals with four goals and four assists. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes)

Shannahan leads Skyhawks with eight points, while Green nets five goals
Reilly becomes 14th 200 point scorer in program history, third this season

EASTON, Mass. (April 20, 2013) – Stonehill College, ranked 11th in this week's Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division II poll and fifth in the first NCAA North Regional rankings of the season released this week, claimed a key regional victory with a 16-12 decision over 10th-ranked Dowling College, ranked fourth in the region, on Senior Day at Timothy J. Coughlin Memorial Field at W.B. Mason Stadium today.

Junior Kelsey Shannahan (Mendham, N.J./Morris Catholic) played a role in half of Stonehill's goals as she compiled a career-high eight points with four goals and a career-best four assists on the day. Senior Kayla Green (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) netted a team-high five goals, while sophomore Elizabeth Lane (Sandwich, Mass./Bishop Stang) added three goals and an assist for four points with five draw controls.

Senior All-American Kelsey Reilly (Hingham, Mass./Notre Dame Academy) celebrated Senior Day by becoming the 14th player in program history to reach 200 career points with her two goals and an assist for three points, while adding seven draw controls, four ground balls and three caused turnovers. She joins classmates Heather Sullivan (Andover, Mass./Andover) and Green to reach the milestone this season and has now totaled 139 goals and 62 assists for 201 points in 70 career games played. Sullivan chipped in with two goals for the Skyhawks, while junior Mary Lee Mahony (Yardley, Pa./Villa Joseph Marie) dished out four assists.


Senior All-American Kelsey Reilly scored her 200th career point with her two first half goals today. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes)

Sophomore Ashley Armstrong (Northborough, Mass./Algonquin Regional) preserved the win with ten saves, stopping four of six free-position shots by Dowling, as Stonehill finished with a 30-25 edge in shots and 16-14 advantage for draw controls, while converting 11-of-16 clear attempts. Senior Tina Fey (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) posted 11 saves in goal for Dowling.

Senior Nicolle Moran (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) led Dowling with a game-high six goals, while sophomore Jackie Anderson (Shirley, N.Y./William Floyd) contributed a goal and four assists for five points, with four ground balls and three caused turnovers. Juniors Samantha Stavish (Albertson, N.Y./Mineola) and Kelly Difede (Ridge, N.Y./Longwood) both chipped in with a pair of goals for the Golden Lions.

Green opened the scoring, assisted by Shannahan, 3:41 into the contest for Stonehill, but Dowling scored the next two goals as Anderson set up Difede five minutes in and then scored an unassisted tally seven minutes in to take the lead. Stonehill scored five of the next seven goals, scoring back to back goals twice, to open a two goal lead (6-4) on a free-position goal by Shannahan with 11:39 left in the half. Shannahan and Sullivan both scored twice during that stretch, while Mahony collected two assists.

Dowling knotted the score with goals from Stavish and Moran within a three minute span, but Stonehill regained its two goal cushion by halftime with back-to-back markers from Reilly, including her 200th career point, in the last 1:57.

Green opened the second half scoring as well for Stonehill, assisted by Mahony, 42-seconds in. The teams traded goals before the Skyhawks extended their lead to four goals (12-8) with scores by Green and Lane 21-seconds apart.

Dowling drew within three (13-10) with an unassisted tally by Moran, but Stonehill broke away with three-straight goals for a six goal advantage (16-10) after Shannahan's fourth of the day with 4:49 remaining. She also dished an assist during the clinching run for the Skyhawks. Dowling scored the last two goals of the contest to pull within four at the final whistle.

Stonehill (11-5, 9-2 NE-10) closes out the regular season on Tuesday when it visits Saint Anselm College for a Northeast-10 Conference matchup at 7 p.m. Dowling (9-3, 3-1 ECC) hosts the University of Bridgeport for an East Coast Conference clash on Wednesday at 4 p.m.

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Stonehill honored its six seniors before their final regular season home game today.