MANCHESTER, N.H. - In Saturday's Northeast-10 Conference matchup against nationally-ranked No. 18 Bentley University, the No. 22 ranked Saint Anselm College women's lacrosse team fell by a final score of 15-6.
UP NEXT:
- Saint Anselm is back home on Saturday, April 20th, hosting Daemen University in non-conference action from Grappone Stadium at 12:00 p.m.
Score: No. 22 Saint Anselm 6, No. 18 Bentley 15
Records: No. 22 Saint Anselm 8-5 (5-3 NE10), No. 18 Bentley 8-4 (6-1 NE10)
Location: Manchester, N.H. (Grappone Stadium)
Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Attendance: 183
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Bentley opened the game with a pair of quick scores in the game's opening 3:17. Courtney Dermody scored the first goal for the Falcons 1:14 into the contest followed by a goal by Amanda Davis to make it 2-0.
- After forcing a Bentley turnover, Saint Anselm went down and cut the deficit in half. Junior Samantha Rivet (Sudbury, Mass.) found junior Abigail Christmas (Elmira, N.Y.) cutting to the front of the goal. Christmas shoveled a low left-handed shot into the cage to make it 2-1.
- Despite the Hawks making it a one-goal game, Bentley scored four straight to take a 6-1 lead by the end of the first quarter. Maeve Johnson scored twice, while Davis and Dermody each added their second goals to help the Falcons pull ahead by five.
- Saint Anselm won the opening draw control to start the second quarter and less than a minute into the period, senior Maggie Fitzgerald (Holliston, Mass.) got a good scoring chance, but her shot went high. Fitzgerald made up for the miss a few seconds later, bouncing a right-handed shot into the cage to make it a 6-2 game at the 13:51 mark.
- About a minute later, senior Jess Sullivan (Wrentham, Mass.) drove to the net, but the ball was jarred loose. That did not stop Sullivan, who slapped the bouncing ball past the Bentley goaltender and across the goal line to make it a three goal deficit.
- With 10:30 left in the half, the Falcons were given a free-position opportunity, but missed the shot wide. Bentley was then given a two-minute player-up advantage, but again failed to produce a goal after hitting the post and then turning the ball over despite another free-position chance.
- At the 5:54 mark of the second, Dermody ran to her left and fired a shot into the top right corner for her third score of the evening to put the Falcons back in front by four goals.
- Saint Anselm junior goaltender Elizabeth Driscoll (Marblehead, Mass.) made a huge save for the Hawks with 4:40 remaining, denying a point blank look from Dermody at the top of the crease to keep her team within striking distance.
- Johnson completed her hat trick for Bentley with 1:58 left in the first half, tucking a side arm shot inside the left post to give the Falcons an 8-3 lead that they took into the halftime break.
- In the opening two and a half minutes of the second half, Bentley added two more goals to extend their advantage to 10-3. Stephanie McAuliffe finished off the ninth score for the Falcons before Caroline Affolter scored from a free-position spot.
- Saint Anselm responded well as Fitzgerald got control on the offensive end and faked out a defender with a half spin. Her shot bounced past the goalie for her second score of the game to cut the deficit down to six goals.
- With 2:27 left in the third, Johnson found an open lane and drove right to the cage, but her shot was turned aside by Driscoll, keeping the Hawks down by half a dozen. However, the Falcons got back on the board after a score by Caitlin Keenan off a nice feed by Affolter before the end of the quarter.
- Senior Alison Ferullo (North Andover, Mass.) helped the Hawks get back within six. The midfielder cut to the cage, received a feed from freshman Alyssa Hill (Brookline, N.H.), and fired into the top shelf with 23 seconds left in the third to make it 11-5.
- Despite Rivet getting into the scoring column for Saint Anselm in the early stages of the fourth quarter, the Falcons went on to outscore the Hawks, 4-1, in the final frame and ended up winning by a 15-6 final score. Johnson and Keenan each scored for Bentley while Dermody added two more in the final five minutes.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Bentley held edges in both total shot attempts, 38-21, and shots on goal, 23-15.
- Saint Anselm had a 13-10 advantage in draw controls. The Hawks committed 20 turnovers in the game, while the Falcons had 18. Bentley held an 18-14 lead in ground balls for the game.
- The Falcons were awarded three free-position shots and converted on one of them, while the Hawks did not register any free-position shots.
- Fitzgerald led Saint Anselm with two goals on the evening. Rivet ended with a goal and an assist while Christmas, Ferullo, and Sullivan all scored once. Ferullo and Rivet also led the Hawks with two caused turnovers apiece.
- Dermody (five goals) and Johnson (four goals) combined for nine of Bentley's 15 goals. Davis and Keenan each added a pair of scores for the Falcons.
- Driscoll made eight saves in goal for Saint Anselm, while Lauren Rochel made nine stops in goal for Bentley.
- This marked the 30th all-time meeting between these two programs since 2000. Saint Anselm falls to 4-26 overall against the Falcons.
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