Senior Rebecca Matheson scored two second half goals, including the gamewinner with 1:06 on the clock. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes) |
Matheson caps comeback with gamewinner with 66-seconds remaining
COLCHESTER, Vt. (April 22, 2016) – Senior attack Rebecca Matheson (Reading, Massachusetts/Reading Memorial) scored with 1:06 remaining to lift Stonehill College, ranked 18th in this week's IWLCA Division II poll, to an 8-7 comeback win at Saint Michael's College in Northeast-10 Conference women's lacrosse action at Duffy Field this afternoon.
Matheson finished with two goals for Stonehill with her second marker capping a comeback from a 6-3 halftime deficit. Senior Caitlin Sweeney (Hollis, New Hampshire/Hollis-Brookline) scored a team-high three goals, while junior Shannon Booth (Pearl River, New York/Nanuet) added a pair. Junior Kiki Ryan (Salem, Connecticut/East Lyme) chipped in with a goal, with classmate Elizabeth Vetter (Great River, New York/East Islip) collected a team-high five draw controls, three ground balls and a caused turnover.
Sophomore Bailey Herr (Oakhurst, New Jersey/Ocean Township) kept Stonehill in the game with seven saves, while junior Cara Corvino (Dorset, Vermont/Burr and Burton Academy) led the Skyhawks defensive effort with five caused turnovers, three ground balls and two draws. Stonehill finished with a 21-19 edge in shots, including 11-5 in the second half, while controlling draw controls 11-6, including 6-1 after halftime. Junior Grace Gunning (Norwell, Massachusetts/Norwell) registered nine saves in the Saint Michael's goal.
Senior Steph Bonewald (New London, New Hampshire/Proctor Academy) paced Saint Michael's with three goals, while sophomore Amy Moyna (Yonkers, New York/The Ursuline School) dished out three assists. Freshman Ellie Clark (Smithsburg, Maryland/Mercersburg Academy) contributed two goals, three ground balls and two draw controls. Classmate Alex Vincent (Rush, New York/Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women) chipped in with a goal and assist.
Senior Caitlin Sweeney scored a team-high three goals. (PHOTO BY Mike Tureski/SportsPix) |
Bonewald gave Saint Michael's its three goal halftime lead (6-3) with back to back goals in the final six minutes of the first half. Stonehill scored the first three goals of the second half to pull even after Matheson's first goal of the game on a free-position attempt with 17 minutes remaining. Booth opened the second half scoring with her 12th goal of the year 15-seconds into the half, while Sweeney added her 24th of the year with 20:49 to go.
Bonewald pushed Saint Michael's back in front with her 26th goal of the season with 12:26 remaining. Ryan's seventh goal of the season equalized the game with 7:41 to play and then Matheson capped the comeback with her 20th goal of the year with 1:06 on the clock. Stonehill won the ensuing draw and proceeded to run the clock out from there, but a turnover gave the Purple Knights another chance. However, sophomore All-American Kelly Healey (Westwood, Massachusetts/Westwood) forced a turnover and collected the ground ball with two-seconds left to seal the victory.
Saint Michael's scored four of the first five goals in the contest to open a three goal margin with 13:37 to play in the first half after two straight by Clark. Sweeney and Booth netted back to back goals to draw Stonehill back within a goal 8:45 before halftime, but Bonewald preserved the Purple Knights three goal cushion at the break with her back to back markers in the last six minutes.
Stonehill (7-7, 5-6 NE-10) returns to action on Tuesday when it visits 5th-ranked LIU Post for a non-conference matchup at 4 p.m. The Skyhawks return home next Thursday, April 28, to host Merrimack College on Senior Night at 7 p.m. Saint Michael's (3-11, 2-9 NE-10) hosts Bentley University on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter and Facebook. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.
