MANCHESTER, N.H. – The No. 20 Saint Anselm College women's lacrosse team powered its way to a 17-6 season opening win over Southern Connecticut State University in Northeast-10 Conference action on Saturday.

The Hawks open the season with the season with a win for the third consecutive season, improving to 1-0 overall and in NE10 contests. The Owls fall to 1-2 on the season and 0-1 in conference play. Saint Anselm is back in action on Monday, Mar. 14 from the Sunshine State as they will play three games in five days starting against Flagler College from St. Augustine, Fla.

Sophomore Jess Sullivan (Wrentham, Mass.) posted a career-high seven goals and added two assists for nine points, which is a career-high as well. Sullivan's seven tallies are the most by a Saint Anselm student-athlete since senior Taylor Cobain (Smithfield, R.I.) netted seven goals against Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on Mar. 3, 2020 and is tied for fourth-most in a single game. Her nine points are tied for seventh-most in a game, most recently hit in the 2018 season by Meaghan Sheehy '18 against Southern New Hampshire University on Mar. 28, 2018.

Senior Jenna Balboni (Billerica, Mass.) scored four goals with three of them coming on free position shots, while junior Alexa Palmisano (Woburn, Mass.) netted three goals. Senior Annie Richards (Reading, Mass.) tied a game-high with three assists. Saint Anselm held a 31-20 margin in shot attempts and a 19-13 edge in shots on goal.

Senior goalkeeper Grace Young (Merrimack, N.H.) stopped seven of 13 shots on goal for the Hawks. Young also gathered a team-high four ground balls as the Hawks held a 25-17 advantage in ground balls.

Freshmen Samantha Rivet (Sudbury, Mass.) and Abigail Christmas (Elmira, N.Y.) made their collegiate debuts in the contest.

The Hawks opened the contest with the game's first six goals as Sullivan, Balboni, and Palmisano combined for the goals. The defense held the Owls off the scoreboard through the first 13:55 of the game as
Savannah Feinberg snapped the run and Mia Pulisciano scored in the final minute of the first quarter to bring the score to 6-2 through the first 15 minutes of play.

Saint Anselm netted three more goals within the first five minutes of the second quarter and added a fourth tally late in the quarter to take a 10-2 lead to the half. Cobain, Sullivan, and Balboni netted the Hawks goals in the second frame.

The Hawks defense did not allow Southern Connecticut State to find the back of the net for 28:28, spanning from the Southern Connecticut State goal with four seconds left in the first quarter to the 1:36 mark of the third quarter when Pulisciano scored her second goal of the game.

The teams traded goals to open the fourth quarter but sophomore Alison Ferullo (North Andover, Mass.) and Cobain added late scores for the Hawks to propel them to the 17-6 season-opening win.