MANCHESTER, N.H. – The nationally-ranked Saint Anselm College women's lacrosse team will host its cross-town rival Southern New Hampshire University on Wednesday, Mar. 17 at 4 p.m. for its home and season opener.

SAINT ANSELM COLLEGE HAWKS
Roster | Schedule & Results | 2020 Statistics | News

SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE UNIVERSITY PENMEN
Roster | Schedule & Results | 2020 Statistics | News

Wednesday's games will mark the team's first intercollegiate contests since Mar. 7, 2020, a span of 378 days. Saint Anselm and the Northeast-10 Conference announced earlier this week that no fans will be admitted other than students, staff, and faculty who are already on campus. A current, valid Saint Anselm College ID card will be required upon entrance to the competition venue.

Under the leadership of sixth-year Head Coach Meghan Smith '12, Saint Anselm was picked 17th in the Nike/US Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Top 20 Poll and 18th in the IWLCA Division II Coaches' Preseason Poll.

LIVE VIDEO of Wednesday's match with the Penmen will be available via the NE10 Now network along with LIVE STATS.

HAWKS NOTES

• Playing in four games in 2020, the Hawks defeated all of their opponents, claiming an undefeated season with wins over then-No. 16 Saint Leo, Embry-Riddle, Wingate, and Saint Thomas Aquinas, all down in Florida. Saint Anselm had the 11th-best scoring offense in NCAA Division II with an average of 16.75 goals per game. The squad also was ranked 24th in all of Division II in points per game with 22.
• Saint Anselm was one of eight teams in the nation to finish the 2020 season with a 1.000 winning percentage, including four from the Northeast-10 Conference. The Hawks look to keep the same momentum into the 2021 campaign with some new leadership as captains. Back in January, Smith selected junior Jenna Balboni (Billerica, Mass.), senior Kelsey Czarnota (Wakefield, Mass.), and senior Caroline Guzzardi (Boxborough, Mass.) to lead the Hawks team into the season.
• Balboni led the squad in 2020 with 19 points (17-2=19) along with one game-winning goal and four free-position tallies. Junior Taylor Cobain (Smithfield, R.I.) played a vital role in the Hawks offense as a sophomore, posting 17 points with 14 goals and three assists. Senior Annie Richards (Reading, Mass.) will be utilized for setting up goals as she totaled a team-high 12 assists in 2020.
• After a strong first year as a member of the team, Lexi Palmisano (Woburn, Mass.) scored seven goals with a hat-trick against Embry-Riddle on Mar. 3, 2020.
• In net, junior Grace Young (Merrimack, N.H.) will be relied on her goaltending in 2021 after finishing the 2020 season with an 8.75 goals-against average alongside 38 saves. Young ranked 15th in save percentage in the entire Division II with a .521 percentage.
• The Hawks will also rely on seven newcomers to the roster in 2021 to fill out the team. The seven will compete for opportunities this week heading into Wednesday's showdown with the Penmen.

SCOUTING THE PENMEN

• On Mar. 4, the NE10 released its 2021 Women's Lacrosse Coaches' Poll with the Penmen slotted sixth with 35 points.
• As a team, the Penmen finished last season with a 2-1 record, beating Dominican (N.Y.) and Bridgeport. Back in 2019, Southern N.H. posted a 7-10 record. The Penmen dropped its home opener against No. 10 Mercy before defeating its next two opponents. SNHU averaged 15 goals per game in 2020.
• Kelsey Long earned NE10 All-Rookie Team and Third Team All-Conference honors after posting 38 goals and 16 assists for 54 points, placing second on the team in helpers and third in both goals and points in 2019. A year later, Long tied for the team lead in points with 12, recording 11 scores with one assist. Merry Harrington logged the same amount of goals, assists, and points as her teammate in the shortened 2020 season.
• In net, the Penmen have two junior goalkeepers in their lineup with Hayle Ashford starting all three games in 2020. She logged a 10.00 goals-against average with a 1-1 record. Caela McCartney is the other goalkeeper, recording a 1-0 record last year.
• Interim Head Coach Nicole Ham will lead the program into 2021 for the Penmen. Ham is no stranger to coaching in the NE10, previously serving as the interim head coach at Franklin Pierce University during the 2019 campaign when she led her alma mater to a six-win season. She is also currently serving as the Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance for the Penmen.

ALL TIME vs. SOUTHERN N.H.

• Saint Anselm and Southern N.H. have an 8-8 record against each other, with the Hawks earning their last win against the Penmen in 2018 when Saint Anselm surged out of a 14-2 halftime lead on its way to a 19-7 victory in a Queen City Cup clash.
• The Hawks have not played each other since the 2019 season on Mar. 27 when the Penmen defeated the Hawks, 14-12.
• In the past eight games in the series, the Hawks have claimed wins in six of those contests. The group had a five-year winning streak against the Penmen during that span. In the times that the Hawks have won against their cross-town rival, Saint Anselm has defeated their opponent by more than a seven-goal differential with the most coming in 2018, beating the Penmen by 12.
• The very first game between the two was played on Apr. 19, 2004 and was a 16-7 victory for the Hawks.

WHAT'S NEXT?

• The Hawks will play Assumption at Grappone Stadium on Wednesday, Mar. 24 at 4 p.m. prior to playing the team's first home weekend contest against Franklin Pierce on Saturday, Mar. 27 at 11 a.m.