Gross Nets Five Goals And Three Assists, Kelly Adds Four Goals And Four Helpers For Eight Points As Third Ranked Women's Lacrosse Claims Ninth Straight Northeast-10 Regular Season Title With 14-11 Victory Over Rival Bentley
April 30, 2007
STONEHILL WOMEN'S LACROSSE
Monday, April 30, 2007
W.B. Mason Stadium, Easton, Mass.
FINAL: STONEHILL 14, BENTLEY 11
1 2 Total
Bentley (9-5, 8-2 Northeast-10) 4 7 - 11
Stonehill (16-1, 10-0 Northeast-10) 6 8 - 14
SCORING SUMMARY
BEN GOALS: Kellyn Riccitelli (4), Alyssa Ritchie (3), Kim Morris (3),
Bridget Fitzgerald
BEN ASSISTS: Liz Goddard (3), Ritchie (2), Katie Van Horne (2),
Riccitelli, Jaclyn Griffin
STO GOALS: Liza Gross (5), Michelle Kelly (4), Kristin Darrell (3), Jackie Ladino (2)
STO ASSISTS: Kelly (4), Gross (3), Darrell (2), Michelle Salmon
GOALIE SAVES
BEN: Christina Guglielmo-14
STO: Amanda McGeachey-8
EASTON, Mass.-- Freshman Liza Gross (Loudonville, N.Y.) netted five goals and three assists, while sophomore Michelle Kelly (Mendham, N.J.) added four goals and four assists as third-ranked Stonehill claimed its ninth straight Northeast-10 Conference women's lacrosse regular season championship by outlasting Bentley 14-11 Monday afternoon at W.B. Mason Stadium.
The host Skyhawks (16-1, 10-0 Northeast-10) posted their seventh straight undefeated conference campaign and will bring a 68-match league winning streak into the 2008 season, as Stonehill (now 81-1 all-time in Northeast-10 action) had all it could handle from the visiting Falcons (9-5, 8-2 Northeast-10). The Skyhawks used four goals in 50 seconds to overcome an early 2-1 deficit en route to a 6-4 advantage at the break, and the hosts then used a pair of Gross markers and a Kelly goal in the first 5:47 after intermission to extend their lead to 9-4. Bentley came roaring back with four unanswered scores, including a pair by sophomore Kim Morris (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) in a nine second span, to close to within one at 9-8 with 15:52 to play, but Stonehill used goals off the sticks of Gross and junior All-America Kristin Darrell (West Islip, N.Y.) to take an 11-8 lead with 9:53 to play in the match.
The Falcons evened matters, however, with a pair of goals by sophomore Alyssa Ritchie (North Andover, Mass.) that sandwiched a Morris tally to tie the score at 11-11 with 4:40 to play in the contest, and Bentley won the ensuing draw but turned it over, leading to Gross's fifth goal of the day that proved to be the game-winner with 2:22 remaining. Tallies by Darrell and freshman Jackie Ladino (North Dartmouth, Mass.) in the final 43 seconds of action iced the Skyhawk triumph and gave Stonehill the top-seed in the upcoming Northeast-10 playoffs for the ninth straight season.
Darrell added a hat trick and two assists for five points in the win for the Skyhawks, who also received a pair of markers from Ladino and a single assist off the stick of sophomore Michelle Salmon (East Islip, N.Y.). Senior Kellyn Riccitelli (Cheshire, Conn.) netted four goals and an assist for five points in the setback for Bentley, which also received a hat trick and two assists from Ritchie as well as a hat trick from Morris. Junior Bridget Fitzgerald (Winchester, Mass.) added a pair of tallies for the Falcons, who also received two assists off the stick of senior Katie Van Horne (Liverpool, N.Y.) and an assist from freshman Jaclyn Griffin (Barrington, Ill.).
Junior Amanda McGeachey (Saco, Maine) picked up her 16th win of the season in goal for Stonehill, while freshman Christina Guglielmo (Fair Haven, N.J.) made 14 stops in net for Bentley as the Skyhawks outshot the Falcons by a 34-24 margin for the match.
Stonehill will await the winner of Wednesday's Northeast-10 quarterfinal round match between fourth-seeded Bryant and fifth-seeded Merrimack in Saturday's first conference semi-final round contest at W.B. Mason Stadium beginning at 1:00 p.m., while Bentley is seeded third in this year's championship and will host sixth-seeded Saint Michael's in Wednesday's other Northeast-10 quarterfinal contest in Waltham, Mass., with the winner advancing to take on second-seeded Southern New Hampshire in Saturday's second semi-final at 3:30 p.m.