MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College women's lacrosse team used a 7-1 run midway through the second half to pull away for a 15-9 victory over visiting Saint Michael's College on Tuesday afternoon in Northeast-10 Conference women's lacrosse action in Manchester, N.H.
Box Score
The Hawks improve to 6-5 overall and 5-5 in the NE-10, while the Purple Knights drop to 2-10 and 2-8 in league games.
Senior Caitlin Villareal (Portsmouth, R.I.) scored four goals, while Erica Mattila (Westford, Mass.) added three of her own to lead Saint Anselm. Molly Beck (Old Saybrook, Conn.) and Marta Versprille (Franklin, Mass.) registered two goals apiece, with Bebe Butts (Windham, Maine) posting a four point day with two goals and two assists.
Emma Palumbo (Sudbury, Mass.) and Meaghan Sheehy (Wilmot, N.H.) rounded out the scoring with one goal each while Michelle Kudlate (Waltham, Mass.) handed out three assists and Rachel Henderson (Powell, Ohio) also added a helper.
Jane Bunn (St. Johns, Fla.) picked up her sixth win of the season by making eight saves in the victory. Erin Marshall (Woburn, Mass.) led the defense with four draw controls, with Palumbo, Versprille, Jessica Masse (Hanover, Mass.), and Rachel Henderson each picking up two groundballs apiece.
The Hawks held a 35-23 lead in shots in the game and grabbed 18 draw controls to just seven for the Purple Knights. Each team committed 19 fouls with Saint Michael's turning it over 14 times and the Hawks giving it back 16 times. The Purple Knights also held a 16-14 edge in groundballs in the game, while the Hawks (13-of-14) were more effective on clears than the visitors (12-of-18).
Saint Anselm opened the game on a 4-0 run before Kealy Moyna broke through for the Purple Knights to make it a 4-1 game with 6:05 remaining in the first half. Molly Beck and Marta Versprille each scored in the final three minutes of the period to give the Hawks a 6-1 lead headed into the break.
The Purple Knights struck first in the second stanza to cut the deficit to 6-2, but Villareal and Mattila registered back-to-back tallies to give the Hawks an 8-2 lead with 22:33 remaining in regulation. Saint Michael's answered back with three-straight goals, including a pair from Alex Vincent, to pull back within three at 8-5 and just over 14 minutes to play.
The Hawks put the game away for good with a 7-1 run over the next 11-plus minutes of action to pull ahead 15-6. Six different players scored a goal over that stretch with Villareal netting a pair to lead Saint Anselm. Saint Michael's scored three late goals, but it was too little too late as the Hawks held on for the 15-9 victory.
The Hawks return to action on Thursday afternoon when they host No. 5 LIU Post in a 3 p.m. game at Grappone Stadium.
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