Senior Rebecca Matheson totaled four points to lead the Skyhawks past Tampa. (PHOTO BY SportsPix) |
Matheson's four points and Vetter hat trick leads Skyhawks to victory
TAMPA, Fla. (March 7, 2016) – Stonehill College, ranked 13th in this week's Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division II poll, scored eight second half goals to break away for a 10-5 victory over the University of Tampa in non-conference women's lacrosse action at the Naimoli Family Athletic Complex this afternoon.
Senior Rebecca Matheson (Reading, Massachusetts/Reading Memorial) led Stonehill with a four point afternoon with two goals and two assists, while spearheading the Skyhawks to a 12-5 advantage in draw controls with seven. Junior Elizabeth Vetter (Great River, New York/East Islip) netted three goals, while freshman Linna Jalinskas (Farmington, Connecticut/Farmington) added a pair of markers in her collegiate debut. Junior Kiki Ryan (Salem, Connecticut/East Lyme), sophomore All-American Kelly Healey (Westwood, Massachusetts/Westwood) and classmate Brianna Doherty (Walpole, Massachusetts/Walpole) each chipped in with a goal for the Skyhawks.
Sophomore Kaitlyn Hess (Guilderland, New York/Guilderland) preserved the win with five saves for Stonehill, with a pair of ground balls. Stonehill finished with a 21-16 edge in shots for the contest, including 13-9 in the second half when it outscored Tampa 8-4 to seal the victory. The Skyhawks converted 14-of-20 clear attempts, with Tampa successful on 14-of-17 clears, while controlling possession with a 12-5 advantage in draw controls, while turnovers finished even at 23 apiece.
Sophomores Amanda Rom (Medina, Ohio/Medina) and Natalie Carraway (Annapolis, Maryland/Saint Mary's Annapolis) each recorded a goal and assist to lead Tampa on offense. Rom also contributed two draw controls and a ground ball, while freshman Allie Popelar (Colorado Springs, Colorado/Rampart) registered a goal, four ground balls and two draws. Senior Caili Guilday (Wallingford, Pennsylvania/Meiron Mercy Academy) finished with five saves in the Spartans net, collecting four ground balls.
Junior Elizabeth Vetter netted three goals this afternoon. (PHOTO BY Marcello Cutti) |
The teams combined for just three goals in the first half with Jalinskas' first two collegiate goals off-setting the opening goal by Popelar less than three minutes into the contest. Jalinskas equalized less than four minutes after the Tampa opener on a free-position shot attempt and then gave Stonehill its first lead with 19:12 remaining in the first half off a pass from junior Jenna Gilman (Ocean Township, New Jersey/Ocean Township). Hess made two of her five saves in the first half for the Skyhawks, while Guilday had three first half stops in the low-scoring half.
Tampa scored twice in the first nine minutes of the second half to reclaim the lead. Rom set up junior Amanda Voges (Bayshore, New York/Bayshore) for her tenth goal of the year to knot the score 2:03 into the frame before freshman Paige Johnson (Ithaca, New York/Ithaca) put the Spartans back in front with her third goal of the year on a free-position attempt with 21:46 remaining.
Stonehill took control with five straight goals as the Skyhawks outscored Tampa 8-2 over the final 20 minutes to clinch the victory. Matheson and Vetter both scored twice during the five goal run for the Skyhawks, with Matheson knotting the score at 3-3 two minutes after Johnson's goal with 19:28 remaining before Healey pushed the Skyhawks in front for good with 15:36 on the clock.
Carraway ended Stonehill's five goal run with her second goal of the year for Tampa, but Matheson set up Doherty's second goal of the year with four minutes remaining and then Ryan followed with her first goal of the year just 14-seconds later to run the Skyhawks lead to five (9-4). Rom scored her sixth goal of the year, assisted by Carraway with 3:06 to play before Vetter capped the scoring and her three goal afternoon off a feed from Matheson with seven seconds on the clock.
Stonehill (1-1, 0-0 NE-10) is off for the next week and a half before returning to action with its Northeast-10 Conference opener at Franklin Pierce University on Saturday, March 19, at 1 p.m. The Skyhawks home opener is Tuesday, March 22, when they host top-ranked Adelphi University for an NE-10 contest at W.B. Mason Stadium at 7 p.m. Tampa (1-5, 0-1 SSC) hosts 7th-ranked Limestone College on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
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