Sophomore Elizabeth Vetter scored three goals to help lead the Skyhawks to their ninth win today. (PHOTO BY Emily Reynolds) |
Skyhawks post Conover's 100th win at Stonehill behind five points from Rudden
WORCESTER, Mass. (March 28, 2015) – Stonehill College, ranked No. 4 in this week's Nike/Lacrosse Magazine Top 20 and 8th in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division II poll, built an eight goal lead by halftime and made it stand to remain unbeaten on the year with a 16-9 victory over Assumption College at Multi-Sport Stadium this afternoon.
The win marked Stonehill head coach Katie Conover, '03's 100th win in her eighth season in charge of her alma mater. She has now posted a 100-36 (.735) record since returning to lead the Skyhawks program in 2008 and has registered a career record of 145-56 (.721) overall in 12 coaching seasons.
Senior Brooke Rudden (Hopkinton, Massachusetts/Hopkinton) led Stonehill to the milestone win with five points on two goals and three assists, while sophomore Elizabeth Vetter (Great River, New York/East Islip) netted three goals with two draw controls and two ground balls. Junior Caitlin Sweeney (Hollis, New Hampshire/Hollis-Brookline) added two goals and an assist for three points with two ground balls and a caused turnover. Seniors Emily Kessel (Kennebunk, Maine/Kennebunk) and Jillian Yung (Bridgewater, Massachusetts/Bridgewater-Raynham) as well as junior Rebecca Matheson (Reading, Massachusetts/Reading Memorial) all chipped in with two goals, while Yung also contributed three ground balls and a draw control and Matheson collected seven draws.
Senior Ashley Armstrong (Northborough, Massachusetts/Algonquin Regional) preserved the win with six saves in the Stonehill goal, including three saves on nine free-position attempts by Assumption, as the Skyhawks posted a 29-23 advantage for shots. The Skyhawks also registered a 20-7 edge in draw controls to control possession and was successful on 4-of-7 clear attempts. Sophomore Jaclyn Chirco (Hopkinton, Massachusetts/Hopkinton) registered 11 stops in the Greyhounds goal.
Head Coach Katie Conover '03 earned her 100th win in charge of her alma mater this afternoon. (PHOTO BY SportsPix) |
Senior Amy McNeil (Orange, Connecticut/Amity) led Assumption with four points on two goals and two assists, while junior Julianna Molloy (Guilford, Connecticut/Guilford) netted three goals. Sophomore Quincy Wilkins (Wilbraham, Massachusetts/Minnechaug) chipped in a goal and assist with three ground balls.
Stonehill led 10-2 at halftime and 11-2 early in the second half on its way to its first 9-0 start since opening with ten wins in 2011. Assumption struck first with the opening goal by sophomore Tori Russo (South Windsor, Connecticut/South Windsor) three and a half minutes into the game. Stonehill followed with four goals from four different players, with Rudden dishing out two assists, to take the lead for good. Sweeney, Vetter and senior Cassandra McGill (Westborough, Massachusetts/Westborough) all scored within a 50-second span to give the Skyhawks a 4-1 lead with 18:13 remaining in the first half.
Molloy answered with an Assumption goal, assisted by McNeil, with 12:18 left and then Stonehill scored the final six goals of the half to carry a 10-2 advantage into halftime. Matheson started the run with her first goal of the afternoon and added a second to cap another three goal burst for the Skyhawks within a 42-second span that extended the lead to 9-2 with 2:03 to play. Rudden capped the first half scoring with a free-position goal with 1:15 on the clock.
Sweeney opened the second half with her second goal of the day 32-seconds in that extended the Stonehill run to seven goals for an 11-2 advantage. Freshman Alexis Pastore (Baldwinsville, New York/Charles W. Baker) broke up the run with a free-position goal for Assumption with 22:10 remaining in the contest, but the Skyhawks reeled off three more goals over the next three and a half minutes to push their lead to 11 (14-3) with 16:40 remaining after back to back goals by Yung after Vetter's third marker of the game.
Assumption scored six of the last eight goals, including two goals and an assist from McNeil and a pair by Molloy, but the Stonehill lead was too great to overcome. Rudden and Kessel each chipped in goals for the Skyhawks to keep the Greyhounds at arm's length down the stretch.
Stonehill (9-0, 7-0 NE-10) returns to action on Tuesday when it opens a string of three home games over the next week when it hosts Dowling College for its Purple & White Game at W.B. Mason Stadium at 7 p.m. Assumption (7-2, 3-2 NE-10) visits Bentley University on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
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