MANCHESTER, N.H. – The nationally-ranked Saint Anselm College women's lacrosse team opens its 2022 season against Southern Connecticut State University in Northeast-10 Conference action on Saturday at 2 p.m. from Grappone Stadium.

No. 20 SAINT ANSELM COLLEGE HAWKS (0-0, 0-0 NE10)
Roster | Schedule and Results | 2021 Statistics | News

SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY OWLS (1-1, 0-0 NE10)
Roster | Schedule and Results | 2022 Statistics | News

The Hawks captured their second-ever NE10 postseason win in 2021 on their way to an 8-3 overall record and a 6-2 mark in conference play. After the season-opener, Saint Anselm heads to South for three games in Florida, matching up with Flagler College on Monday, Mar. 14, Saint Leo University on Wednesday, Mar. 16, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on Friday, Mar. 18.

The Owls scored their first win of their 2022 campaign against Post University on Mar. 2. The team suffered a loss to Molloy on Feb. 23 in the season-opener and they were slated to open NE10 play on Feb. 26 against Bentley but that contest was postponed. After coming to the Hilltop, the Owls head to Dominican (N.Y.) College in non-conference action on Wednesday, Mar. 9.

Live Statistics and Live Video will be available for the Hawks' season opener.

SCOUTING SAINT ANSELM

• 24 student-athletes from the 2021 campaign are returning for the 2022 season, including four of the top-five point scorers from last season in seniors Annie Richards (Reading, Mass.) and Jenna Balboni (Billerica, Mass.), junior Alexa Palmisano (Woburn, Mass.), and sophomore Jess Sullivan (Wrentham, Mass.). The team is also returning senior goalkeeper Grace Young (Merrimack, N.H.).
• The Hawks were projected to finish fifth in the NE10 Preseason Coaches' Poll that was released on Jan. 26. The squad collected 111 points trailing Bentley University by just one point and edging Franklin Pierce University and the University of New Haven by two points. Le Moyne College, Adelphi University, and Pace University finished as the conference's top three in the poll.
• Richards posted seven goals and a team-high 32 assists for 39 points in 2021. Richards put just 12 shots on goal, scoring on seven of them, in 11 starts for Saint Anselm. Balboni led the Hawks with 29 goals while ranking second with 32 points on her way to All-NE10 Third Team honors last spring.
• Palmisano netted 26 goals while Sullivan posted 16 goals and 11 assists for 27 points to round out the top-scoring returners for the Hawks.
• Young started all 11 games last spring for Saint Anselm, posting a 9.00 goals-against average and a .503 save percentage on her way to making 100 saves on 199 shots on goal. The senior goalkeeper ranked fifth in the conference in goals-against average and total saves.
• Head coach Meghan Smith '12 enters her seventh season at the helm of the women's lacrosse program in 2022. Coach Smith holds a 40-41 (.494) record as the Hawks head coach.

SCOUTING SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT STATE

• Southern Connecticut held a 4-2 lead through the first quarter and used five consecutive goals between the second and third quarters to open a 9-4 lead through 45 minutes of play. In the second half, the Owls scored eight of the nine tallies on their way to the 14-4 win.
• Bayleigh Takacs and Karlie Rowe are tied for the team-lead with seven goals each. Takacs has three assists to lead the squad with 10 points while Rowe is second with nine points.
• Takacs' three assists are also a team-high while Rowe, Mia Pulisciano, and Alexandra Ruel are tied for second on the team with two helpers each.
• Sophie Kurtz and Rileigh Bunton have drawn one start each for the Owls. Kurtz grabbed the win over Post while Bunton suffered the loss to Molloy. Kurtz holds a 4.00 goals-against average and a .600 save percentage while Bunton sits at a 14.00 goals-against and a .391 save percentage.
• The Owls were selected to finish 11th in the NE10 Preseason Coaches' Poll, collecting 44 points. The team trailed Southern New Hampshire University by three points for 10th while edging American International College by three points.

ALL-TIME vs. SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT

• This will be the 19th meeting all-time between the Hawks and Owls. Saint Anselm is undefeated against Southern Connecticut State.
• The programs last met in the Hawks NE10 opener on Mar. 16, 2019, resulting in a 15-5 win for Saint Anselm from New Haven, Conn. Richards, Balboni, and senior Taylor Cobain (Smithfield, R.I.) combined to score six of the Hawks goals in the contest.
• The smallest margin of victory is one goal, which game in overtime on Apr. 1, 2017 while the largest is 17, happening twice on Apr. 23, 2011 and Apr. 26, 2014.