NE-10 TOURNAMENT: #9 Stonehill Survives Against Saint Anselm 13-12


Junior Mary Lee Mahony scored the deciding goal with 6:42 remaining and finished with two goals and an assist. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes)

Skyhawks post second come from behind one goal win over Hawks in eight days

EASTON, Mass. (May 1, 2013) – Second-seeded Stonehill College, ranked ninth in this week's Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division II poll, came from behind in each half to hand sixth-seeded Saint Anselm College, receiving votes in the IWLCA poll, a 13-12 setback in first round action of the 2013 Northeast-10 Conference Women's Lacrosse Tournament at Timothy J. Coughlin Memorial Field at W.B. Mason Stadium tonight.

Stonehill (13-5, 10-2 NE-10) advances to face second-seeded and 5th-ranked Adelphi University (16-1, 11-1 NE-10) in Saturday's semifinal round, hosted by top-seeded and 4th-ranked Le Moyne College, in Syracuse, N.Y., at 1:30 p.m. The Panthers received a first round bye in the NE-10 Tournament. Saint Anselm sees its season come to a close with a 10-7 record overall, including a 7-5 mark in NE-10 play, having made its first postseason appearance since 2006.

It marks two-straight comeback wins for Stonehill decided by just one goal against Saint Anselm after the Skyhawks closed out the regular season with a 16-15 triumph in Manchester, N.H., just eight days ago. Junior Mary Lee Mahony (Yardley, Pa./Villa Joseph Marie) scored two goals, including the game winner with 6:42 remaining, and dished an assist for three points for the Skyhawks, with two draw controls. Classmate Kelsey Shannahan (Mendham, N.J./Morris Catholic) netted four goals for the Skyhawks, while senior Kayla Green (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) posted two goals and two assists for four points with two draw controls.

Senior Heather Sullivan (Andover, Mass./Andover) scored three goals for Stonehill, while sophomore Elizabeth Lane (Sandwich, Mass./Bishop Stang) contributed a goal and assist.

Sophomore Ashley Armstrong (Northborough, Mass./Algonquin Regional) made five saves in goal for Stonehill, including a game-clinching stop with one second remaining. Sophomore Allee Ramzi (Cumberland, R.I./Mount Saint Charles Academy) posted two stops in goal for Saint Anselm, but none after halftime, as the Hawks finished with a 23-17 shots advantage and a 14-13 edge in draw controls.


Junior Kelsey Shannahan scored four goals for the Skyhawks tonight. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes)

Sophomores Kelly Pickett (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford) and Marissa Daly (Marshfield, Mass./Thayer Academy) both netted four goals to lead Saint Anselm. Pickett also contributed three ground balls and two caused turnovers, while freshman Erin Marshall (Woburn, Mass./Woburn) added two goals, three draw controls, two ground balls and two caused turnovers. Sophomore Sarah Doherty (Franklin, Mass./Franklin) dished two assists for the Hawks to go with five ground balls, three caused turnovers and two draw controls. Freshman Caitlin Villareal (Portsmouth, R.I./Portsmouth Abbey) chipped in with a goal and assist with four draw controls.

Mahony's deciding goal capped three unanswered goals for Stonehill over the final 13:14 to erase a two game deficit for the second-straight meeting with Saint Anselm. Pickett had answered a Stonehill goal by Lane with 22:37 remaining with a pair of goals less than three minutes apart to push the Hawks lead back to two (12-10) with 14:49 left.

Green cut the Stonehill deficit in half a minute and a half later with an unassisted tally with 13:14 on the clock. Shannahan then equalized with 12:05 to play, assisted by sophomore Brooke Rudden (Hopkinton, Mass./Hopkinton), before Mahony's unassisted tally with 6:42 left. Stonehill was able to gather the ensuing draw and ran the clock, drawing a pair of free-position attempts, as well as a Saint Anselm yellow, but was content with working the clock.

Saint Anselm was finally able to force a turnover with less than 30-seconds to go and draw a foul just inside its offensive zone with four seconds to play. Freshman Katie McKenna (Danvers, Mass./Danvers) took an open shot from 11 yards out, but Armstrong stopped the attempt with a second on the clock to clinch Stonehill's 15th NE-10 semifinal appearance.

Saint Anselm scored five of the first six goals in the game, including the first three markers, in the opening 11:11 of the contest. Daly scored twice during the opening surge, while Shannahan had the lone Stonehill goal. The Skyhawks got into the game by scoring the next three goals, including two from Sullivan, to draw within one (5-4) with 7:56 to play in the half.

After Daly restored the two goal lead for Saint Anselm with 5:22 left in the half, Stonehill closed out the half with four straight goals to take a two goal lead of its own into halftime after a Sullivan tally, assisted by Mahony, with just four seconds on the clock. Green and Shannahan scored 50-seconds apart to pull the Skyhawks even for the first time in the contest, while senior All-American Kelsey Reilly (Hingham, Mass./Notre Dame Academy) put the hosts in front for the first time with a goal with 2:12 remaining in the half.

Mahony extended the Stonehill lead to three (9-6) 45-seconds into the second half, but Marshall answered just 11-seconds later to spark a four goal Saint Anselm run. The stretch put the Hawks back in front (10-9) after Daly's final goal of the night with 24:19 left. Lane drew Stonehill level again (10-10) with 22:37 remaining, leading up to Pickett's two goals.

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