EASTON, Mass. – The nationally-ranked Saint Anselm College women's lacrosse team downed the Skyhawks from Stonehill College on Saturday by a narrow score of 10-9.

The Hawks, the 21st-ranked squad in all of Division II (IWLCA), remain undefeated on the season, improving to 4-0 overall and to 3-0 against Northeast-10 Conference opponents. The Skyhawks fall to 2-4.

Sophomore Lexi Palmisano (Woburn, Mass.), senior Kelsey Czarnota (Wakefield, Mass.), and junior Jenna Balboni (Billerica, Mass.) each had four points on the day, including a four-goal performance by Palmisano to lead the team. Czarnota has now scored three or more goals in three of her last four games this season.

Junior goalkeeper Grace Young (Merrimack, N.H.) stopped a career-high 14 shots, claiming her ninth career win and her fourth of the season. Her counterpart, Kaliegh Wright, made 13 saves in the loss.

It was a defensive battle in the opening frame with each team holding each other to five goals or less. After the Skyhawks struck first less than 60 seconds into the contest, the Hawks scored four straight with two coming from Balboni. That push helped the Hawks take a 4-1 advantage with 19:22 left in the first half.

The Skyhawks would allow only one goal past them in the remainder of the first period while putting home two of their own, cutting the deficit to one before Czarnota netted her second score of the day at 5:45. Both teams headed into the halftime break with 13 shots despite Saint Anselm claiming the advantage in saves, 10-6. The Hawks also had a 7-2 edge in draw controls in the opening 30 minutes.

After a five-minute span of scoreless lacrosse, Liv McCarthy of the Skyhawks brought the score to 5-4 before Palmisano increased the Hawks lead with back-to-back scores at the 18:46 mark. Balboni added to the scoring early in the second period with a goal of her own a minute later. That provided the Hawks some cushioning with a four-goal lead around halfway through the final 30 minutes.

The Skyhawks finished the game on a 5-2 run, falling just short of tying the game as time expired. Czarnota and Palmisano scored the Hawks goals in that span.

Saint Anselm concluded the day with a narrow 29-27 shots advantage, while going 22-for-25 on the clear attempts. The Skyhawks won the ground ball game, 26-22.

The Hawks return to Grappone Stadium for their next contest as they host Bentley on Tuesday, Apr. 13 at 7 p.m.