ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Senior
Jess Sullivan (Wrentham, Mass.) scored four goals, three of which were in the first half, to lead the nationally-ranked No. 16 Saint Anselm College women's lacrosse team to a 10-8 non-conference road win over Roberts Wesleyan University on Sunday afternoon. Senior
Alison Ferullo (North Andover, Mass.) and freshman
Alyssa Hill (Brookline, N.H.) each scored twice in the season-opening contest.
UP NEXT:
- Saint Anselm returns to the Hilltop for their home and conference opener on Saturday, March 2nd against Saint Michael's College at 1:00 p.m.
Score: Saint Anselm 10, Roberts Wesleyan 8
Records: Saint Anselm 1-0, Roberts Wesleyan 0-3
Location: Rochester, N.Y. (Redhawks Field)
Date: Sunday, February 25, 2024
Attendance: 115
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Roberts Wesleyan got the first couple of offensive looks to start the game after winning the opening draw control. The Redhawks took the first two shots of the afternoon, but Hawks junior goaltender Elizabeth Driscoll (Marblehead, Mass.) was up to the task and denied both opportunities.
- After successfully clearing the ball, Saint Anselm made their way into the attacking area and got to work. Junior Abigail Christmas (Elmira, N.Y.) received a pass out in front and fired a shot on goal that was saved. The rebound rolled out to Sullivan, who scooped up the ground ball and tucked it in to the back of the net from just outside the crease to make it 1-0, Hawks, early in the first quarter.
- Roberts Wesleyan tied the score midway through the opening period on a goal by Annie Mulhall, but three minutes later, Hill answered with her first career goal to help Saint Anselm retake the lead. The attacking unit for the Hawks applied pressure and forced a turnover right in front of goal, where Hill pounced on the loose ball and quickly rifled a shot into the top corner to make it 2-1.
- Once again, the Redhawks responded to tie the score with Lucy Rugaber registering her first of two goals in the game to make it 2-2 going into the second quarter.
- Less than three minutes into the second, Sullivan netted her second of the contest. The senior dodged to her right and weaved through traffic before letting off a difficult shot that beat the Redhawks goalie to make it 3-2, Hawks.
- Over 10 minutes went by without either team scoring, but Saint Anselm doubled its lead with 1:18 left in the half courtesty of a free-position goal by freshman Lucy Mawn (Harwich, Mass.), the first of her career. 48 seconds later and with 30 seconds remaining in the first half, Sullivan completed her hat trick after beating a defender one-on-one and cutting to the front of the cage to give the Hawks a three-goal advantage at halftime.
- Roberts Wesleyan scored the first two goals of the second half to cut the deficit to just one goal. Tannah O'Neil-Blake scored a minute into the third quarter, while Kadie Tierney scored a few minutes later for the Redhawks.
- At the 9:15 mark of the third, Ferullo was given a free-position opportunity and took advantage, picking up her first tally of the year from straight down the middle to make it 6-4, Saint Anselm.
- After the Redhawks brought it to with one goal for the second time in the period, Sullivan recorded her fourth score of the game on a left-handed shot that fizzled over several defenders. Senior Maggie Fitzgerald (Holliston, Mass.) bagged her first goal of the season with 1:33 left in the quarter off a feed from junior Kendra Sabotka (Rutland, Vt.) to give the Hawks an 8-5 lead going into the fourth.
- Roberts Wesleyan made things interesting to begin the final period of play, scoring three goals in a four minute span to knot the score up, 8-8, with nine minutes remaining.
- However, Ferullo stepped up in a big way for Saint Anselm with her second of the game to give her team the lead back. The senior midfielder made a back door cut to the front of the cage and received a perfect pass from behind the net by senior Isabella Stuzynski (Bedford, Mass.) before firing home the go-ahead goal.
- A couple minutes later, Hill found an opening and drove to goal where she shot and scored her second of the day to make it 10-8, Hawks, with 5:05 to play.
- The Saint Anselm defense stepped up in the game's final moments, forcing a shot clock violation and a turnover by Roberts Wesleyan to seal the victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- In a very competitive matchup, Saint Anselm held a slight edge in both shots, 22-19, and shots on goal, 17-15.
- Driscoll made seven saves in between the pipes for the Hawks, while Shawna Lesmerises made seven saves in goal for the Redhawks.
- Roberts Wesleyan had a successful day on draw controls, winning 14 out of 21 (66.7%).
- The Redhawks committed 22 turnovers compared to 16 committed by the Hawks. The home team also scooped up 18 ground balls compared to 25 picked up by the visitors.
- Saint Anselm successfully cleared 22 of their 23 attempts, while Roberts Wesleyan cleared 24 of their 26 attempts.
- Both teams had success on free-positon shots as the Hawks went two-for-two and the Redhawks went one-for-one.
- Sullivan led the way with four goals for Saint Anselm, her 21st career game with three or more scores. Ferullo finished with two goals including her eighth career game-winner. Hill and Mawn scored their first collegiate goals in the game.
- Mulhall and Rugaber each scored twice to lead Roberts Wesleyan.
- This was the first ever matchup between these two programs.
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