Ernst posts eight-point day to lead Ravens to first win over Skyhawks

EASTON, Mass. (March 17, 2021) – Franklin Pierce University claimed its first win over Stonehill College in program history with a 20-12 triumph in the Northeast-10 Conference women's lacrosse season-opener for both on Timothy J. Coughlin '80 Memorial Field at W.B. Mason Stadium this afternoon. 

Scoring

Franklin Pierce
Goals: Savannah Ernst 5, Caroline Lounsbury 5, Gabby Oswald 3, Katie Hadden 3, Morgan Baxendale 2, Megyn Ayotte 2.
Assists: Savannah Ernst 3, Megyn Ayotte, Morgan Baxendale, Kaitlyn Daly, Gabby Oswald.

Stonehill
Goals: Molly Mae Hughes 3, Emma Sullivan 3, Kendall Fressle 2, Lydia Rudden, Olivia Pino, Shannon Hughes, Victoria Butler.
Assists: Lydia Rudden 2, Olivia Pino.  

Goalkeeping
Franklin Pierce: Erin Blake – 12 saves (60:00) win.
Stonehill: Bailey Grant – 0 saves, 5 goals against (10:02); Kaleigh Wright 13 saves, 15 goals against (49:58) loss. 

Sullivan filled the stat sheet with three goals, 11 draw controls, five ground balls and two caused turnovers to lead the Skyhawks in each category (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes)

More Leaders
Franklin Pierce
Caused Turnovers: Megyn Ayotte 3, Katie Hadden 3.
Draw Controls: Caroline Lounsbury.
Ground Balls: Sarah Waldrep 4.

Stonehill
Caused Turnovers: Emma Sullivan 2.
Draw Controls: Emma Sullivan 11.
Ground Balls: Emma Sullivan 5.

How it Happened

• Franklin Pierce erased an early 4-1 deficit, using a six-goal string led by a pair by senior Caroline Lounsbury that turned a two-goal deficit into a four-goal lead (9-5) after Lounsbury's second with 11:01 remaining in the first half. Junior Savannah Ernst also tallied a goal and two assists during the run.
• Franklin Pierce closed out the half with a 10-1 run in all, over the final 21:41, to carry a 13-6 lead into halftime. Lounsbury had three goals total in the half, while Ernst added two goals and two assists in the frame.
• Stonehill got goals from four different players to grab the early 4-1 lead after 4:24, with three on free-position attempts. Senior Shannon Hughes opened the scoring just 49-seconds into the contest with an unassisted tally.
• Junior Kendall Fressle scored the first goal of the second half to pull Stonehill back within six (13-7) just 37-seconds in.
• Franklin Pierce responded with another six goal run to break the game open (19-7) with 13:20 remaining after back-to-back goals from junior Morgan Baxendale. Lounsbury also chipped in with two more goals, while Ernst chipped in a goal and assist.
• Stonehill made a late push to produce the final margin, using a 5-1 run over the closing 10:40, led by the first three goals in the career of freshman Molly Mae Hughes.

Molly Mae Hughes

Noteworthy

• Franklin Pierce notched its first win over Stonehill in 23 tries in the all-time series, which dates back to Stonehill's inaugural season in 1999.
• Stonehill returned to the field for its first regular season contest in 371 days, with the College hosting just its second regular season home event since the 2020 NE10 Women's Basketball Championship on March 8, 2020. Today marked the women's lacrosse program's first home game since a 17-8 win over Saint Michael's College at W.B. Mason Stadium on April 24, 2019.
• Junior Emma Sullivan filled the stat sheet this afternoon for Stonehill with three goals, a career-high 11 draw controls, five ground balls and two caused turnovers.
• Senior goalkeeper Kaleigh Wright made 13 saves in reserve of senior starter Bailey Grant, marking the second double-digit save performance of her career – two shy of her career best at Assumption College in 2019.

Up Next

Stonehill (0-1, 0-1 NE10) is scheduled to return to action on Saturday, when it visits Assumption College for an NE10 matchup at 1 p.m. Outside fans will not be permitted to attend the game in Worcester, Massachusetts, in conjunction with the NE10's current spectator policy, but the game will be available via NE10 NOW. In addition to watching online, viewers will also be able to watch the action live on their televisions through Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku by downloading the NE10 NOW app.

The Skyhawks are slated to return to W.B. Mason Stadium on Wednesday, March 31, to host Saint Anselm College at 3 p.m. Franklin Pierce (1-0, 1-0 NE10) hosts Bentley University on Saturday at 2 p.m.

For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.