MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College women's lacrosse team staged a late fightback but came up one goal short in a 13-12 loss to Pace University on Saturday evening at Grappone Stadium.
Box Score
Pace (6-4, 3-4 NE-10) led 13-9 with 10:17 remaining before Saint Anselm (4-5, 3-5 NE-10) scored three-straight goals in 2:36 to get within a goal with 7:41 to play. The Hawks had a few chances to tie the game but the Setters ran out the clock after Allisa Silvestri made a save on Meaghan Sheehy with 2:21 to go.
Erin Marshall registered three goals and two assists for Saint Anselm in the setback. Caitlin Villareal and Erica Mattila each added hat tricks, Molly Beck scored twice and Michelle Kudlate found the back of the net once. Villareal's three goals put her in a tie with Michaela Rocha for fourth in program history with 203 points.
Jane Bunn stopped 13-of-26 shots she faced and also grabbed four ground balls. Marta Versprille picked up three ground balls and had four draw controls for the Hawks.
Casey Gelderman scored a game-high five goals for Pace, while Courtney Pabst and Abby Hamison each tallied three goals and an assist. Pabst also snagged four ground balls and five draw controls. Makayla McDermott handed out four assists for the Setters. Alissa Silvestri earned the win by making 13 saves on 25 shots.
Saint Anselm grabbed its only lead of the night, 2-1, at the 25:23 mark of the first half after goals by Marshall and Kudlate. Pace responded with the next three goals, two by Hamison, to take a 4-2 lead.
After a Marshall goal made it 4-3, Gelderman scored a pair of goals in a three-goal run by the Setters to give the visitors a 7-3 advantage. Two goals by Villareal brought the Hawks back within two before Emily Ankabrandt scored with 22 seconds left in the half to give Pace an 8-5 halftime edge.
Goals from Villareal and Mattila early in the second half brought the Hawks within a goal at 8-7. Pace came back with the next two goals, only for Beck and Marshall to cut the Setters' lead back to one at 10-9 with 19:24 to play.
From there, Gelderman, Pabst and Angela Kelly each scored to match the Setters' biggest lead of the night at 13-9 prior to the late Saint Anselm rally.
Saint Anselm outshot Pace 16-9 in the second half to hold a 32-29 edge in the game. The Hawks also won 11-of-13 draw controls after the break after the Setters won 10-of-14 in the first half. Saint Anselm won the ground ball battle 16-8, while Pace committed 10 turnovers to 12 for the Hawks.
Saint Anselm travels to Merrimack on Wednesday, April 13 for a 7 p.m. matchup with the Warriors.
