MVP McGrath Nets Five Points As Women's Lacrosse Claims Seventh Straight Northeast-10 Tournament Title With 14-10 Victory Over Merrimack

May 8, 2006

STONEHILL WOMEN'S LACROSSE

2006 Northeast-10 Conference Championship

Sunday, May 7, 2006

W.B. Mason Stadium, Easton, Mass.

FINAL: STONEHILL 14, MERRIMACK 10

1 2 Total

Merrimack (12-4) 5 5 - 10

Stonehill (16-3) 8 6 - 14

SCORING SUMMARY

MER GOALS: Allison Kownacki (4), Lauren Leddy (2), Amanda Simeone (2),

Alison Colarusso, Lauryn Serratore

STO GOALS: Michelle Kelly (4), Jenny McGrath (2), Kristin Darrell (2), Erin Acone (2),

Christa LaRocco (2), Mary Maloney (2)

MER ASSISTS: Colarusso, Leddy

STO ASSISTS: McGrath (3), Acone, Darrell, Kelly, LaRocco, Tracey Hoffman

GOALIE SAVES

MER: Gina Sansone-6

STO: Lauren Stone-9

EASTON, Mass.-- Tournament Most Valuable Player Jenny McGrath (Milton, Mass.) netted a pair of goals and added three assists for five points as top-seeded and fifth-ranked Stonehill claimed its seventh straight Northeast-10 Conference women's lacrosse tournament championship with a 14-10 victory over second-seeded Merrimack in the 2006 title match played Sunday afternoon at W.B. Mason Stadium.

The host Skyhawks, who finish the season 16-3 overall, trailed 3-1 early in the contest but used five unanswered tallies, including two each by senior All-America Erin Acone (Bow, N.H.) and freshman Michelle Kelly (Mendham, N.J.), to take an 6-3 lead with 13:48 remaining in the half. The two teams traded two goals each in the final 10:35 of the half for an 8-5 Stonehill edge at the break, and after freshman Mary Maloney's (Great River, N.Y.) tally 1:29 after intermission extended the hosts' lead to 9-5, the visiting Warriors (who finish the year at 12-4) used three unanswered markers off the sticks of sophomores Allison Kownacki (Orange, Conn.) and Amanda Simeone (Nashua, N.H.), as well as freshman Lauren Leddy (Sea Girt, N.J.), to close to within one at 9-8.

Stonehill regained a three-goal edge at 11-8 on back-to-back free position goals off the sticks of McGrath and Kelly, and sophomore Christa LaRocco's (West Islip, N.Y.) fast break marker with 10 minutes remaining gave the Skyhawks a 12-8 edge. Merrimack responded with goals from Simeone and sophomore Lauryn Serratore (Norwood, Mass.) to pull to within two at 12-10 with 5:48 to play, but tallies by McGrath and sophomore All-America Kristin Darrell (West Islip, N.Y.) in the final 1:55 of action sealed Stonehill's title.

McGrath, who becomes the first player in conference history to earn Tournament MVP honors twice, finished her season with a school-record 110 points and the second highest single-season assist total in NCAA history with 66 helpers. Kelly netted four goals and an assist in the triumph for Stonehill, which also received a pair of goals and an assist each from Acone, Darrell and LaRocco. Maloney chipped in with a pair of tallies for the Skyhawks, who also received an assist off the stick of junior Tracey Hoffman.

Kownacki paced the Merrimack attack with four goals, while Leddy added a pair of markers and an assist for three points for the Warriors, who also received two goals from Serratore. Senior Alison Colarusso (North Andover, Mass.) chipped in with a goal and an assist for the visitors, who also received a marker from Serratore.

Senior All-America Lauren Stone (Guilderland, N.Y.) closed out her career by extending her school record with her 47th triumph in goal for Stonehill, as she made nine saves on the day, including six in the second half alone. Freshman Gina Sansone (Norwood, Mass.) made six stops in net in the setback for Merrimack as each team had 25 shots on goal.

Acone, who was named as the Northeast-10 Player of the Year for the third straight season, closes out her Stonehill career as the second leading scorer in school history with 311 points, a mark that places her seventh on the NCAA Division II career list as well. Acone joins former Skyhawk standout and current Merrimack head coach Katie Lambert as the only two players in league history to earn conference Player of the Year honors for three straight seasons.

Stone was tabbed as the Northeast-10 Co-Goalie of the Year along with Southern New Hampshire's Lisa McEachern, while Stonehill Head Coach Michael Daly was named as the conference's Coach of the Year for the fifth straight season and for the sixth time in eight years.