RINDGE, N.H. – Behind a career-high 10 points from junior
Jess Sullivan (Wrentham, Mass.), the nationally-ranked Saint Anselm College women's lacrosse team soared to a 22-14 win over in-state foe Franklin Pierce University on Tuesday.
With the win, the Hawks who are No. 17 in the most recent ILWomen/IWLCA Division II National Poll, improve to 10-3 on the season with a 6-3 record in Northeast-10 Conference play while the Ravens drop to 3-11 overall and 2-8 in conference contests.
Sullivan led all student-athletes with 10 points coming from five goals and five assists. Senior
Lexi Palmisano (Woburn, Mass.) netted four goals for the Hawks offense while juniors
Alison Ferullo (North Andover, Mass.) and
Maggie Fitzgerald (Holliston, Mass.) and senior
Taylor Cobain (East Greenwich, R.I.) all potted three goals apiece.
The 22 goals scored by the Hawks offense is tied for seventh most in a single game, which has now been reached on five occasions.
Sophomore
Elizabeth Driscoll (Marblehead, Mass.) stopped 11 shots on goal for Saint Anselm, marking her sixth game this season with double-digit saves.
Sullivan and Cobain combined for one goal each in the opening five minutes of play before senior
Ellie Richards (Reading, Mass.) extended the lead to three with 3:56 remaining in the first quarter.
Kayli Hoefs and Sullivan traded scores in the final minutes of the first frame, which pushed the score to 4-1 in favor of the Hawks through one quarter of play.
Saint Anselm would net the next six goals coming from sophomore
Samantha Rivet (Sudbury, Mass.), Fitzgerald, junior
Isabella Stuzynski (Bedford, Mass.), Palmisano, Cobain, and Sullivan within the first 7:22 of the second quarter. Saint Anselm would lead 10-1 following the Sullivan tally.
Franklin Pierce woudl outscore Saint Anselm by a 4-3 margin in the remaining time of the second quarter as the Hawks led 13-5 at the break.
The teams traded consecutive goals to open the third quarter and after a second pair of Ravens goals from
Hayley Hermsdorf and Hoefs, the Hawks netted five consecutive goals to take a 20-9 lead through 45 minutes of action.
Freshman
Lucy Davis (Roswell, Ga.) and Ferullo netted one goal each in the early going of the fourth stanza. However, the Ravens would net the game's final four goals to make the score its eventual final of 22-14.
Palmisano collected six draw controls and added two ground balls for Saint Anselm while Ferullo and senior
Annabelle Harrington (Tyngsborough, Mass.) registered three and two caused turnovers apiece in the contest.
Saint Anselm held a 38-32 advantage in shots on goal and a 31-25 edge in shots on goal. The Hawks were 16-for-18 in clear attempts compared to 12-of-16 for the Ravens. Franklin Pierce claimed 21 draw controls to 18 for Saint Anselm.
The Hawks are back in action on Saturday, Apr. 22 when they welcome No. 20 nationally-ranked University of New Haven to the Hilltop for a 12 p.m. NE10 battle.
