WORCESTER, Mass. – The Saint Anselm College women's lacrosse team cruised to a 17-8 win over Assumption University in a battle of nationally-ranked programs on Wednesday.

The Hawks, who are ranked No. 21 in the ILWomen/IWLCA Division II National Poll, move to 9-1 on the season with a 4-1 record in Northeast-10 Conference play while the Greyhounds, who are No. 16 in the same poll, fall to 5-4 overall and 2-3 in league contests.

Seniors Taylor Cobain (East Greenwich, R.I.) and Lexi Palmisano (Woburn, Mass.) and junior Jess Sullivan (Wrentham, Mass.) led the Hawks with three goals scored each while senior Ellie Richards (Reading, Mass.) and juniors Alison Ferullo (North Andover, Mass.) and Maggie Fitzgerald (Holliston, Mass.) scored two each.

Cobain led all student-athletes with six points in the contest as she handed out three assists to go with her three tallies in the win.

It was the Greyhounds who struck first at 12:28 of the first quarter on a goal by Caitlyn Reilly. Molly Weiand and Katelynn Johnston netted one goal each through the frame as the hosts led 3-0 with 7:30 remaining. However, the Hawks would strike twice, coming 20 seconds apart, on goals from Palmisano and Ferullo which brought the score to 3-2 through the opening 15 minutes.

Saint Anselm tied the contest on a free-position goal from Palmisano and took the lead just 44 seconds later on the second goal of the season for senior Quinn O'Rourke (Falmouth, Mass.). Ferullo, less than one minute later, extended the Hawks scoring streak to five and pushed the lead to 5-3.

In the closing minutes of the first half, both sides netted one goal each to send the teams to the half with Saint Anselm leading, 6-4.

After both sides found the back of the cage twice to open the third quarter, the Hawks would score four consecutive goals to extend the lead to six at 12-6. Palmisano, Richards, and Fitzgerald combined for the scores in the third quarter.

The Hawks netted four more goals in the early going of the fourth quarter from the crosses of Sullivan, Cobain, and Richards which gave Saint Anselm a 10-goal lead. Assumption would net back-to-back goals at 4:47 and 4:27 to push the score to 16-8 but a late tally from Cobain made the score its eventual final of 17-8.

The reigning NE10 Goalkeeper of the Week sophomore Elizabeth Driscoll (Marblehead, Mass.) extended her double digit saves streak to three games with a 13-save effort on Wednesday. Driscoll improved to 9-1 from the cage this season with the win.

Saint Anselm attempted 33 shots to 28 for Assumption and held a 27-21 advantage in shots on goal. The Hawks were 14-of-17 in clears compared to 12-of-15 for the Greyhounds.

Palmisano led the Hawks with four ground balls and 10 draw controls while junior Erin Doyle (Weymouth, Mass.) caused one turnover, collected three ground balls, and grabbed five draw controls. Senior Meghan Cotraro (Beverly, Mass.) also claimed five draw controls, aiding the Hawks to a 20-9 advantage in that category.

Palmisano moved into fourth all-time in career draw controls and now has 168 in her time on the Hilltop.

Saint Anselm will be back in action on Wednesday, Apr. 12 for a NE10 battle with nationally-ranked Le Moyne College. The 4 p.m. contest has been designated as a conference-wide Morgan's Message Game, in support of the organization which advocates for the mental health of student-athletes.