Murphy paces Skyhawks attack with seven points

Murphy paced the Skyhawks attack with six goals and an assist (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes)

EASTON, Mass. (April 20, 2024) – Stonehill College grabbed a five goal lead after a quarter of play and then broke the came open by outscoring Saint Francis University 8-0 in the third quarter to clinch an emphatic 19-7 triumph and clinch a spot in the upcoming Northeast Conference Tournament on Senior Day in NEC women's lacrosse action on Timothy J. Coughlin, '80 Memorial Field at W.B. Mason Stadium this afternoon.

Sophomore Grace Murphy scored four of her career-high six goals in the first quarter in leading Stonehill to an 8-3 lead it would not relinquish, adding an assist for a career-high matching seven points. Senior Molly Mae Hughes totaled six points with three goals and three assists, five draw controls, two ground balls and a caused turnover, while classmate Lilly Leach netted five goals, including the 100^th of her career, with three draws, two caused turnovers and a ground ball.

Senior Claire Smith made four of her eight saves in the second quarter to preserve Stonehill's five goal lead it built in the first quarter, adding five ground balls. Junior Taylor Coughlin finished with seven stops in the Saint Francis goal.

Prior to the game, Stonehill honored its seven seniors, Hughes, Leach, Smith and classmates Abby Ahearn, Karly King, Bella Tavares and manager Ali Dlugosinski. The group has been a part of a program that has made the transition to NCAA Division I after helping lead the Skyhawks to regular season and tournament championships in the Northeast-10 Conference in 2022 to now clinching a spot in the upcoming NEC Tournament at the Division I level which will get underway with first round action next Sunday, April 28.

Stonehill women's lacrosse seniors and families

Sophomore Bella Fisher paced the Saint Francis attack with two goals and an assist, with three ground balls and two draw controls, while classmate Julia Givens added a goal and assist with two caused turnovers and two ground balls. Postgrad Lizzie Fisher also contributed a goal and assist, with two caused turnovers.

Hughes totaled six points with three goals and three assists on senior day for the Skyhawks. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes)

How it Happened

• Murphy scored three-straight goals over the final five minutes of the opening quarter to cap her four-goal frame and cap a five-goal run that broke a three-goal deadlock midway through the quarter into a five-goal cushion (8-3) heading to the second quarter.
• Saint Francis, who led twice in the opening quarter, scored the first two goals of the second nearly nine minutes apart as Bella Fisher scored her 36^th goal of the season a woman down 2:01 into the frame and then sophomore Brooke Lacey scored a woman up goal with 4:03 remaining in the first half to pull the Red Flash back within three (8-5).
• Leach, with her 100^th career goal with 3:53 to play in the second quarter, and Hughes restored Stonehill's five goal lead (10-5) at the half with goals in the last four minutes of the frame, kicking off a ten goal game clinching run that extended the Skyhawks lead to 13 (18-5) after outscoring Saint Francis 8-0 in the third quarter.
• Five different players scored goals for Stonehill in the eight goal third frame, with junior Sofia D'Agostino and Murphy each scoring twice.

Noteworthy

• Stonehill (6-3 NEC) has clinched a spot in the upcoming NEC Tournament that gets underway with first round play next Sunday, April 28, on campus sites. The Skyhawks can clinch homefield, and likely return visit from Saint Francis (6-3), with a win at Merrimack College (4-5) in its regular season finale on Wednesday.
• Leach is the 23^rd player in Stonehill history to surpass 100 career goals, moving up to 22^nd all-time with 102 goals in 53 career games.
• Leach also became just the second in Stonehill history to surpass 300 career draw controls, finishing the game with 302 – 11 shy of Kelsey Reilly's, '13 program mark of 313.
• Hughes posted her 12^th multi-goal game of the season and matched her season-high with three assists. She moved into tenth place on Stonehill's career scoring list with 218 points, with her 76 career assists ranking ninth and 142 goals 13^th all-time in 61 career games.
• Murphy's career-high six goals is her 11^th multi-goal game of the season, including her ninth with three-plus goals.
• Smith's eight saves gives her 138 for the spring – two shy of cracking the program's all-time single-season top ten.

Up Next

Stonehill (7-8, 6-3 NEC) wraps up the regular season at Merrimack College on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Saint Francis (7-6, 6-2 NEC) hosts Howard University in its regular season finale on Wednesday at 2 p.m.

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