MANCHESTER, N.H. – The nationally-ranked Saint Anselm College women's lacrosse team will return to Grappone Stadium on Thursday, Apr. 22 for a key Northeast-10 Conference matchup against No. 14 Assumption University for a 4 p.m. battle.

The Hawks are looking to respond after falling against No. 15 Bentley, 9-7, on Tuesday night. Saint Anselm owns a 6-1 overall record heading into the contest with Assumption. The Greyhounds enter play with a 5-2 record, holding a slim 2-1 advantage on the road in 2021.

Saint Anselm is the No. 20-ranked team in NCAA Division II, according to the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Coaches Division II Poll.

LIVE VIDEO of Thursday's match with the Greyhounds will be available via the NE10 Now network, as will LIVE STATS.

HAWKS NOTES

• Against Bentley on Tuesday, the Hawks saw their winning streak come to an end as the Falcons defeated the Hawks, 9-7. Saint Anselm, who defeated Bentley at home on Tuesday, Apr. 13, was led by two-goal performances from sophomore Lexi Palmisano (Woburn, Mass.), senior Kelsey Czarnota (Wakefield, Mass.) and junior Jenna Balboni (Billerica, Mass.).
• Junior goalkeeper Grace Young (Merrimack, N.H.) faced 19 shots in the loss and stopped 10 of them, yielding nine goals. Her counterpart, the reigning NE10 Goalkeeper of the Week Eliza Bresler, recorded nine saves.
• Saint Anselm ranks third in NCAA Division II in caused turnovers per game (13.57), and 11th in ground balls per game (22.71). Balboni leads the team in caused turnovers per game with an average of 1.57, ranking 73rd in the nation and 12th in the NE10.
• The Hawks defense has excelled in recent success in 2021, featured by Young's constant performance in net. Young ranks 11th in save percentage with .532 in the entire NCAA Division II, while also holding the 12th-best goals-against average mark this season (7.43).
• On the offensive side, senior Annie Richards (Reading, Mass.) has averaged 3.57 assists per game throughout seven games, ranking sixth in the Division II and first in the NE10.
• So far in 2021, the Hawks have outscored opponents, 93-52, along with 38 more shots on goal than their competition. Saint Anselm are 122-for-143 on the clear attempts, averaging an 85.3 percentage.

CHECKING OUT THE GREYHOUNDS

• The Greyhounds come to the Hilltop as one of the seven nationally-ranked teams in the NE10. Assumption holds the 14th spot in the IWLCA National Poll after claiming a 16-5 win over Saint Michael's on Apr. 17 before battling nationally-ranked Bentley to a 10-7 loss on Apr. 10.
• In their contest against the Purple Knights, Assumption used 10 first-half goals to secure the victory.
• Three student-athletes has scored 20 or more points this season with Allison Foley netting a team-high 21 goals, two shy of her teammate Olivia Catanzarite who has posted 19 goals on four assists for a total of 23 points. Jenna Joseph leads the team in helpers with 16. Marran Oakman of the Greyhounds has been the main draw control specialist, winning a team-high 27. She has also lead the team in caused turnovers with 10.
• In net, the Greyhounds hold three goalkeepers on their 2021 roster. Allie Collins has started in all six games, earning a 4-2 record and posting a 7.04 goals-against average. Collins' 56.5 save percentage ranks fourth in the NE10. Her teammate Emily Burton has totaled 18 minutes, allowing six goals and stopped two shots over two appearances.

ALL-TIME vs. NO. 14 ASSUMPTION

• Saint Anselm heads into the nationally-ranked battle with the series advantage, 15-7. When these two opponents face each other on the Hilltop, the Hawks have won 10 out of the 11 times.
• The Hawks largest win against the Greyhounds happened in 2008 when Saint Anselm won 21-5, but in 2018, Saint Anselm claimed the smallest margin of victory with a 12-11 triumph.
• Against Assumption, Saint Anselm averages 13.59 goals, totaling 299. In the last 10 matchups, the Hawks hold the advantage, 6-4, dating back to 2010.
• The last meeting between the Hawks and the Greyhounds was back on Apr. 13, 2019, with Assumption claiming victory. Saint Anselm fell to at-time No. 17 Assumption University by a 19-10 score. Richards, Balboni, and Taylor Cobain (Smithfield, R.I.) each registered a hat-trick for the Hawks. Bailee Pudvar '20 made 13 saves in net in just over 50 minutes of action.