#13/14 Stonehill Posts Shootout Win Over Dowling, 18-16


Senior Kelsey Shannahan led the Skyhawks with five goals and two assists for seven points at Dowling today. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes)

Shannahan, Lane and Couch fire Skyhawks to key North Region win 

BROOKHAVEN, N.Y. (April 19, 2014) – Stonehill College, ranked 13th in this week's Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division II poll and 14th in the Lacrosse Magazine poll, picked up a key North Region win with an 18-16 shootout over Dowling College, receiving votes in the IWLCA rankings, in non-conference women's lacrosse action at Golden Lions Field this afternoon.

Senior Kesley Shannahan (Mendham, N.J./Morris Catholic) and juniors Lizzie Lane (Sandwich, Mass./Bishop Stang) and Mikayla Couch (Towaco, N.J./DePaul Catholic) combined for 14 goals to lead Stonehill to the win. Shannahan finished with five goals and two assists for seven points, while adding three draw controls, a ground ball and caused turnover. Lane finished with five goals and an assist for six points, six draws, two ground balls and a caused turnover, while Couch contributed four goals and two assists for six points. Junior Brooke Rudden (Hopkinton, Mass./Hopkinton) matched Shannahan with seven points by dishing out a career-high six assists to go with a goal, while sophomore Rebecca Matheson (Reading, Mass./Reading Memorial) posted two goals and a team-high seven draws. Junior Emily Kessel (Kennebunk, Maine/Kennebunk) also chipped in with a marker.


Junior Brooke Rudden dished out a career-high six assists to go with a goal for seven points today. (PHOTPO BY Andrew Katsampes)

Junior Ashley Armstrong (Northborough, Mass./Algonquin Regional) posted eight saves in the Stonehill goal as Dowling held a 30-22 advantage for shots, including 15-9 in the second half. The Golden Lions were 8-for-11 on free-position shots, while the Skyhawks were 2-for-2 and held a 19-16 edge in draw controls. Postgrad Tina Fey (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) finished with two stops in the Dowling net.

Senior Kelly Di Fede (Ridge, N.Y./Longwood) and sophomore Allie Merrill (Levittown, N.Y./Island Trees) both netted four goals to lead Dowling. Di Fede also collected six draw controls, while Merrill added two draws, two ground balls and four caused turnovers. Junior Jackie Andersen (Shirley, N.Y./William Floyd) posted a team-high five points with a goal and four assists, while senior Jerilynn Goodfellow (Hauppauge, N.Y./Hauppauge) and freshman Katie Meinecke (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport South Manor) each netted three goals. Freshman Kim Geiger (South Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) chipped in with a goal.

Stonehill broke a 15-15 deadlock by scoring three of the final four goals in the closing 5:24 to come away with the win. Shannahan scored the first of the three goals before Lane sandwiched two around the final Dowling marker in the closing stretch. Shannahan broke the tie with an unassisted strike for her fifth goal of the afternoon before Lane gave the Skyhawks a two goal lead with a free-position goal with 4:02 on the clock. Meinecke pulled the Golden Lions back within a goal, assisted by Andersen, with 3:13 to go, but Shannahan set up Lane's final goal with six seconds remaining to provide the final two goal cushion. Dowling had won the draw after its 16th goal, but sophomore Remy DiRe (Winchester, Mass./Winchester) caused a turnover and Stonehill was able to run the clock the rest of the way leading up to its final goal to seal the win.


Junior Mikayla Couch contributed four goals and two assists today. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes)

Dowling held a 4-3 lead after six minutes following a three goal string over a 1:24 span. Andersen opened the run with a free-position goal 4:13 into the contest before senior Ashley Kupres (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Connetquot) set up Di Fede's second marker of the day 50-seconds later. Goodfellow capped the run with her first of the day on a free-position try with 24:34 remaining in the half. Rudden dished to Matheson for her second goal of the day just 61-seconds later and then Couch regained the Stonehill lead (5-4) with a free-position goal with 18:32 remaining in the half.

Dowling scored three of the next four goals over the next eight minutes, including a pair by Merrill, but Stonehill reeled off five straight goals to open an 11-7 lead after Shannahan's third goal of the half, assisted by Couch, with 23-seconds left before halftime. Couch also netted two goals during that stretch, while Lane had a goal and assist. Geiger pulled a goal back for the Golden Lions just 12-seconds before the break with her seventh goal of the year on a free-position attempt.

Shannahan opened the second half scoring, assisted by Rudden, to push the Stonehill lead back to four 2:20 in. Di Fede and Goodfellow followed with free-position goals to draw Dowling back within two (12-10) with 21:25 to play. The Skyhawks answered with three goals out of four over the next nine minutes to regain their four goal lead (15-11) after Couch connected with Lane for her third goal, and second of the run, with 12:56 left.

Meinecke and Andersen combined for two straight goals to spark a four goal Dowling run that knotted the score (15-15) with 6:02 left after Merrill's fourth goal of the day. Goodfellow also netted a marker for the Golden Lions during that stretch before Stonehill reclaimed the lead for good with its game-deciding push in the final 5:24.

Stonehill (10-5, 8-2 NE-10) returns to action on Tuesday when it hosts 15th-ranked Saint Anselm College for a big Northeast-10 Conference clash on its Purple & White Game on Senior Night at W.B. Mason Stadium at 7 p.m. Dowling (11-5, 8-1 ECC) hosts Merrimack College next Saturday at 1 p.m.

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