Hughes totaled a game-high nine points with five goals and four assists before a hometown crowd on Long Island today (PHOTO BY Brian Foley)

Hughes and Rudden lead Skyhawks to third NEC win

BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (April 12, 2023) – Stonehill College rode a decisive second quarter to a 15-11 triumph over Long Island University in Northeast Conference women's lacrosse action at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium this afternoon. 

Highlights

• Junior Molly Mae Hughes totaled a game-high nine points with five goals and four assists, while senior All-American Lydia Rudden added six points with two goals and four assists.
• Postgrad All-American Emma Sullivan netted four goals, while junior Lilly Leach helped control possession with a career-high 15 draw controls, while contributing a goal and assist for the Skyhawks.
• Junior Olivia Fantigrossi scored four goals to lead LIU, while freshman Julia Trainor added a goal and assist with five draw controls, two ground balls and a caused turnover.
• Junior Claire Smith and Sarah Faley split the goalkeeping duties for Stonehill, with Smith recording three saves in the first half and Faley adding four stops in the second.
• Junior Lily Bilello finished with eight saves in goal for LIU, adding two caused turnovers and two ground balls.

Rudden added two goals and four assists in the win (PHOTO BY Brian Foley)

How it Happened

• LIU held a two-goal lead (3-1) with 2:17 remaining in the first quarter after two-straight goals from Fantigrossi.
• Stonehill followed with three-straight goals, sparked by Sullivan's first of the contest, assisted by Hughes with 1:43 to play in the first, followed by Hughes first of the game and then senior Kayla Conway's 24^th of the year, assisted by Hughes, 3:40 into the second quarter to push the Skyhawks in front for the first time.
• Fantigrossi leveled the score just over a minute later, but Stonehill gained control with a four-goal run that extended into the second half for an 8-4 lead after Hughes third goal of the game four minutes into the third quarter. Hughes had a hand in six of Stonehill's first eight goals with three goals and three assists.
• LIU halted the run with 10:10 to play in the third, but Stonehill extended its lead to five goals (10-5) with 6:36 remaining in the third as Rudden assisted on markers from sophomore Sofia D'Agostino and Sullivan.
• LIU made a run to pull back within a goal (11-10) after a free-position goal by sophomore Pierson Schuchart with 9:53 still to play in the fourth quarter.
• Stonehill halted the run with the next three goals, including a pair from Hughes that restored a four-goal cushion (14-10) with 3:14 left and clinched the victory.

Leach collected a career-high 15 draw controls as the Skyhawks controlled possession to key victory (PHOTO BY Brian Foley)

Noteworthy

• Hughes scored multiple goals for the fifth time this season and dished out multiple assists for the fourth time with her nine points finishing one shy of her career-high at FDU on March 18.
• Rudden has multiple points in 11-straight games, having logged at least one goal and one assist in the last 11 as well. She moved into ninth on Stonehill's career scoring list with 218 points (76 goals, school-record 142 assists) passing Colette Carpenter, '05 (215). Rudden leads the NEC with her 36 assists this season – good for a tie for sixth on the program's all-time single-season list with her head coach Katie (Lambert) Conover, '03 who had 36 helpers in 2002.
• Sullivan's four goals give her 198 points in 64 career games as she looks to become the program's 15^th 200-point scorer all-time with 162 career goals and 36 assists.
• Leach's 15 draw controls mark her second double-figure game this season and give her an NEC-best 69 for the season, good for sixth on Stonehill's all-time single-season list and moving into fifth on Stonehill's career list with 172 in 35 career games.
• Faley is the eighth goalkeeper in Stonehill history to reach 200 career saves after her four stops in the second half today, reaching the milestone in her 30^th career game.

Up Next

Stonehill (3-9, 3-3 NEC) is back in action on Saturday, when it hosts Howard University for its Alumnae Day Game at W.B. Mason Stadium at 1 p.m. LIU (6-8, 4-2 NEC) is off until Saturday, April 22, when it hosts Sacred Heart University at 1 p.m.

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