Junior All-American Kelsey Reilly netted the winning goal with 5:36 to play and finished with three points on the afternoon. (PHOTO BY Shane Bufano) |
Skyhawks erase late deficit to win back and forth clash
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (March 29, 2012) – Stonehill College, ranked sixth in this week's Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division II poll, rallied from a goal down in the final seven minutes to claim a big 13-12 victory over seventh-ranked University of New Haven in a back and forth Northeast-10 Conference women's lacrosse matchup at Kayo Field this afternoon.
Junior All-American Kelsey Reilly (Hingham, Mass./Notre Dame Academy) and classmate Kayla Green (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) each scored goals less than a minute apart to rally Stonehill to its sixth straight victory, marking the Skyhawks fifth win against a ranked opponent this season (5-1). Reilly scored the winning goal with 5:36 to play in regulation after Green knotted the score with 6:47 on the clock.
Reilly finished with two goals and an assist for three points, adding four draw controls, three ground balls and three caused turnovers. Senior All-American Sarah Galligan (West Newbury, Mass./Pentucket Regional) scored three goals for Stonehill with two ground balls and two caused turnovers, while senior All-American Samantha Lynott (Holbrook, N.Y./East Sachem) collected two goals and an assist for three points in her return to action, adding two draw controls. Green and sophomore Mary Lee Mahony (Yardley, Pa./Villa Joseph Marie) both chipped in with two goals.
Senior All-American Sarah Galligan scored three goals in the win for the Skyhawks. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes) |
Junior All-American Rebecca Moore (Marlborough, Mass./St. Mark's School) preserved the win with five saves in net for Stonehill. The Skyhawks finished with a 25-23 edge in shots for the contest, including a 21-17 advantage in shots on goal. Stonehill was successful on 13-of-16 clear attempts, compared to 10-for-13 for New Haven, with the Skyhawks committing 13 turnovers to 18 for the Chargers. Senior Maureen Spellman (Trumbull, Conn./St. Joseph) posted eight saves in goal for New Haven.
Senior Alexis Gabbe (Malverne, N.Y./Malverne) led New Haven with three goals and two assists for five points to go with three draw controls, a ground ball and caused turnover. Junior Natalie Lieberman (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport South Manor) also posted five points with three goals and two assists, adding three draw controls and two ground balls. Freshman Kathryn Campbell (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield) contributed two goals, three draw controls, a ground ball and caused turnover, while junior Kristina Curry (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow) finished with two goals.
Green's tying goal came 47-seconds after New Haven sophomore Nicole McKee (Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur) capped a three goal run that put the Chargers in front with 7:34 to play on a free-position attempt. Campbell scored the first two UNH goals, both assisted by Lieberman, during the run that gave the Chargers a late lead.
Both teams scored seven first half goals and Stonehill had the early momentum in the second half, netting three of the first four markers to open a two goal lead (10-8) after Reilly scored off a feed from Lynott with 18:17 remaining in regulation. Lynott also scored a goal during that stretch for the Skyhawks, while Galligan netted the first goal of the frame four and a half minutes in. Curry pulled New Haven back within a goal with 15:39 to play before Galligan regained the Skyhawks two goal cushion with 11:24 on the clock before the Chargers made their run for the lead.
Stonehill netted three of the first four goals in the contest, sparked by junior Heather Sullivan's (Andover, Mass./Andover) marker 30-seconds in. Galligan and Green also scored for the Skyhawks before New Haven went on a 4-1 run to take its first lead (5-4) with nine minutes left in the half. Gabbe led the Chargers during that stretch with two goals and an assist.
Lynott and Mahony scored during a three goal Stonehill run that put the Skyhawks up 7-5 with 3:52 left in the opening half, but Lieberman scored twice in the span of 23-seconds to pull New Haven even at the break.
Stonehill (8-1, 6-0 NE-10) is back in action on Wednesday when it visits Franklin Pierce University for an NE-10 matchup at 6 p.m. The Skyhawks return home next Saturday, April 7, to host defending national champion and No. 2-ranked Adelphi University at 11:30 a.m. New Haven (7-1, 3-1 NE-10) visits Dowling College on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
