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PREVIEW: No. 20 women’s lacrosse vs. Stonehill

4/24/2021 7:00:00 AM

MANCHESTER, N.H. – The nationally-ranked Saint Anselm College women's lacrosse team hosts Stonehill College this Saturday, Apr. 24 at 7 p.m. in its final home game of the 2021 regular season.

The Hawks will celebrate their six graduating senior student-athletes in a brief pre-game ceremony. Saturday's game is the final regular season contest to be played at Grappone Stadium – the Hawks hold a 4-1 record on the Hilltop in 2021.

The No. 20-ranked team in the country (IWLCA), Saint Anselm has two games left in its regular season and is vying for a top seed in the upcoming Northeast-10 Conference postseason. The field will be comprised of two divisional brackets with seven teams each (Northeast and Southwest). The top seed in each division will receive a bye into the first round of divisional play on Friday, Apr. 30.  

Saint Anselm students, faculty and staff are permitted to attend home contests at Grappone Stadium. External spectators, including Stonehill fans and parents from both teams, are prohibited. Check out the Spectator Policy for more information.

LIVE STATS and LIVE VIDEO of Saturday's regular-season home finale will be available.

SCOUTING SAINT ANSELM
  • Last time out, Saint Anselm suffered a 13-10 setback to the 14th-ranked Assumption University on Thursday, Apr. 22. The Hawks were led by senior Annie Richards (Reading, Mass.) who totaled four points (1=3=4) on one goal and three assists.
  • Owners of a 6-2 overall record in 2021, the Hawks look to return to the winner's circle on Saturday as they dropped back-to-back games against two nationally-ranked opponents in No. 15 Bentley and No. 14 Assumption earlier this week. Prior to the losses, the Hawks were undefeated with a 6-0 record.
  • The Hawks are currently eighth in the nationl with 12.25 caused turnovers per game as senior Kelsey Czarnota (Wakefield, Mass.) leads the team with an average of 1.38 per game. Saint Anselm is also the second-best scoring defense in the NE10, holding its opponents to an 8.12 goals-against average.
  • Saint Anselm and junior goalkeeper Grace Young (Merrimack, N.H.) rank 11th in all of Division II in save percentage with a mark of .522.
  • Richards also is six points away from the 100th point of her career and is one assist away from her 60th career helper. Richards' 28 assists on the year is the most in the NE10 and ranks 11th in the nation.
  • Junior Jenna Balboni (Billerica, Mass.) netted her fourth hat trick of the season against the Greyhounds, extending her point streak to 14 games. Sophomore Lexi Palmisano (Woburn, Mass.) has scored two goals in each of the past four games as she looks to keep that streak going into Saturday.
STONEHILL FACTS
  • Stonehill is led by Bailey Grant who owns a 9.40 goals-against average, backing the Stonehill defensive effort in a 16-5 victory over Southern New Hampshire on Apr. 21. Grant posted a season-high 14 saves to preserve the Skyhawks win over Assumption on Apr. 3, chipping in with a career and team-high seven ground balls.
  • Offensively, Shannon Hughes leads the team with 33 points (25-8=33) on 25 goals and eight assists on the season. Since the Hawks have first seen Hughes, she has totaled eight goals and three assists over the past three games. Lydia Rudden has posted 29 points (10-19=29) as she leads the assists on the team, ranking second in the NE10 behind the Hawks' Richards.
  • The Hawks will have to watch out for Emma Sullivan on the draw controls as she has won 50 so far this season. Sullivan has also scored 21 goals and five assists on the season.
  • Victoria Butier helps Grant out on defense, causing 11 turnovers on the season.
  • As a team, the Skyhawks have totaled six games with double digit goals with their highest amount recorded back on Mar. 24 against the Penmen, 21-5.
  • Stonehill ended last season with a 2-2 record, defeating Franklin Pierce and Saint Thomas Aquinas.
ALL-TIME vs. STONEHILL
  • Historically, Stonehill has dominated the series between the Hawks, posting a 21-4 win-loss advantage. Since the program's inception, the longest winning streak has featured the Skyhawks defeating the Hawks 18 consecutive times with that stretch finally ending in 2014 with a 16-13 Saint Anselm victory.
  • The Hawks are currently riding a two-game winning streak over the Skyhawks, winning 14-10 in 2019 and then 10-9 earlier in 2021.
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