Senior Lizzie Lane scored four second half goals to lift the Skyhawks to a big early season win. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes) |
Lane nets four second half goals to lead Skyhawks to big early season win
WINTER PARK, Fla. (March 8, 2015) – Stonehill College, ranked 12th in this week's Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches' Association (IWLCA) Division II poll, broke a string of three straight losses to 15th-ranked Rollins College with a huge 9-4 triumph in non-conference women's lacrosse action at Barker Family Stadium tonight.
Senior Lizzie Lane (Sandwich, Massachusetts/Bishop Stang) filled the stat sheet to lead Stonehill as she scored all four of her goals during a second half run that put the Skyhawks in front for good, while adding three draw controls, two caused turnovers and three ground balls. Senior Emily Kessel (Kennebunk, Maine/Kennebunk) netted three goals for the Skyhawks to go with two caused turnovers and a pair of ground balls, while classmate Brooke Rudden (Hopkinton, Massachusetts/Hopkinton) dished out three assists. Junior Caitlin Sweeney (Hollis, New Hampshire/Hollis-Brookline) chipped in with two goals and two ground balls.
Senior Ashley Armstrong (Northborough, Massachusetts/Algonquin Regional) preserved the win with a season-high six saves, including four in a one-goal first half, as Stonehill finished with a 21-13 advantage for shots. Sophomore Hannah Ricci (Winter Park, Florida/Winter Park) finished with three saves in 36:37 in goal for Rollins, while freshman Malorie Olin (Skaneateles, New York/Skaneateles) posted three stops in 23:23.
Junior Taylor Thomas (Winter Park, Florida/Lake Highland Prep) led Rollins with a goal and assist as four different Tars etched their names on the score sheet. Postgrad Ginevra Czech (Maplewood, New Jersey/Columbia) and sophomores Amy Martin (Roswell, Georgia/Centennial) and Taylor Burns (Midlothian, Virginia/Boca Raton Community) each chipped in with goals for the Tars. Czech also added two caused turnovers.
Senior Emily Kessel added three goals for the Skyhawks. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes) |
The teams combined for just two first half goals, both of which came in the final 6:31 of the half. Czech opened the scoring with her fourth goal of the year, assisted by Thomas. Stonehill answered with just 1:14 left in the opening frame with her seventh goal of the year.
The teams plotted five goals in the opening eight minutes of the second half, with Stonehill taking the lead for good with Lane's first goal of the night with 22:20 remaining in the contest. Kessel opened the second half scoring with her second goal of the year, assisted by Rudden, just 18-seconds in. Martin forged a 2-2 tie with a free-position goal less than a minute later and then Kessel put the Skyhawks back in front with 24:15 remaining.
After Thomas tied the game at 3-3 with 23:39 remaining, Lane potted the go-ahead goal on a free-position attempt and then went on to net three-straight goals for a 6-3 lead Stonehill wouldn't relinquish with ten minutes to go. Kessel extended the Skyhawks lead to 7-3 with her third of the game and then Lane finished off her four-goal half with her ninth of the season with 1:30 to go. Burns and Sweeney traded goals in the final minute to wrap up the scoring as the Skyhawks broke a run of three straight setbacks in the series with Rollins.
Stonehill edged Rollins 8-7 on draw controls, converted 14-of-16 clear attempts, compared to 8-for-15 for the Tars, and had three less turnovers (16-13).
Stonehill (3-0, 1-0 NE-10) is back in action on Tuesday night when it faces Bentley University for a Northeast-10 Conference matchup in Davenport, Florida, at 7 p.m. The Skyhawks don't return home until Wednesday, March 25, for its first ever meeting with Northeast-10 Conference newcomer Pace University at 7 p.m. Rollins (5-2, 1-0 SSC) hosts Coker College on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
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