Sophomore Taylor Shannahan led the Skyhawks with three points, four ground balls and two caused turnovers. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes) |
Yellow Jackets junior plays role in all eight goals, while Torosian stops 13
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (April 9, 2016) – Junior Riley Brennan (Wilbraham, Massachusetts/Minnechaug Regional) had a hand in all eight goals to lead American International College, among teams receiving votes in this week's Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches' Association (IWLCA) Division II poll, to an 8-6 triumph over 16th-ranked Stonehill College in Northeast-10 Conference women's lacrosse action at Ronald J. Abdow Field tonight.
Brennan scored seven of American International's eight goals, and assisted on the other, converting all five free-position shot attempts. Senior Cheyenne Carden (Branford, Connecticut/Branford) scored the remaining goal for the Yellow Jackets, while junior Jessica Lawler (Mexico, New York/Mexico Academy) dished out two assists.
Junior Alexis Torosian (Hopkinton, Massachusetts/Hopkinton) preserved the win in goal for AIC with 13 saves, including eight in the second half, and four ground balls as Stonehill posted a 26-16 advantage in shots for the contest. However, the Skyhawks went 0-for-4 on free-position shots, compared to 5-for-6 for the Yellow Jackets. Draws were even at eight all and Stonehill was unable to take advantage of 19 AIC turnovers, committing 11 themselves. Sophomore Kaitlyn Hess (Guilderland, New York/Guilderland) finished with four stops in the Stonehill goal, with two ground balls.
Sophomore Taylor Shannahan (Mendham, New Jersey/Morris Catholic) led Stonehill with three points on a goal and two assists with four ground balls, two caused turnovers and a draw control. Senior Caitlin Sweeney (Hollis, New Hampshire/Hollis-Brookline) netted two goals for the Skyhawks, while classmate Rebecca Matheson (Reading, Massachusetts/Reading Memorial) doled out two assists. Junior Michaela Brown (Pleasantville, New York/The Ursuline School) was among four Skyhawks with a single goal for Stonehill tonight, adding five caused turnovers and two ground balls, while classmate Elizabeth Vetter (Great River, New York/East Islip) chipped in a goal with four draw controls and two caused turnovers.
Senior Caitlin Sweeney netted two goals for the Skyhawks. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes) |
Stonehill held a 3-2 lead after a goal from Sweeney, assisted by Shannahan, eight and a half minutes into the game. AIC took control with four straight goals from Brennan to open a three goal lead (6-3) with 10:43 remaining in the first half. Vetter pulled the Skyhawks back within a goal, assisted by Shannahan, with 2:48 left in the frame.
Carden's 18th goal of the year, off a Brennan feed, restored AIC's three goal cushion with 23:19 to go. Stonehill got the goal back 1:06 later with junior Shannon Booth's (Peal River, New York/Nanuet) seventh marker of the year, assisted by Matheson, but Brennan added her seventh goal of the after with a free-position goal with 7:22 remaining. Brown added her first goal of the year two minutes later to cut the gap to two again (8-6), but the Skyhawks would get no closer.
Sweeney scored two of Stonehill's first three goals, while Shannahan tallied a goal and assist that produced the 3-2 lead less than ten minutes into the game. Sweeney opened the scoring two and a half minutes in, before Brennan potted two straight to push AIC in front 5:08 into the opening half. Shannahan knotted the score, assisted by Matheson, with 21:59 remaining in the half, before Sweeney's second goal of the run pushed the Skyhawks in front for the final time all night 26-seconds later.
Stonehill (5-5, 4-4 NE-10) returns to action on Wednesday when it visits 18th-ranked Bentley University for an NE-10 matchup at 7 p.m. The Skyhawks return home on Tuesday, April 19, when they host Southern New Hampshire University at 7 p.m. American International (7-4, 4-3 NE-10) travels to Franklin Pierce University on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
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