MANCHESTER, N.H. – Senior
Jaycie Balboni (Billerica, Mass.) set a new career-high with four goals and the nationally ranked #24 Saint Anselm College women's lacrosse team soared to a dominant 18-2 win over Saint Michael's in Northeast-10 Conference (NE10) action on Wednesday night at Grappone Stadium. 10 student-athletes scored at least one goal in the victory for the Hawks, who improved to 8-1 overall and 3-0 in conference play.
UP NEXT:
- Saint Anselm hits the road for an NE10 road matchup with #18 Bentley on Saturday, March 29th at 5:00 p.m. in Waltham, Mass.
Score: #24 Saint Anselm 18, Saint Michael's 2
Records: #24 Saint Anselm (8-1, 3-0 NE10), Saint Michael's (3-6, 0-3 NE10)
Location: Manchester, N.H. (Grappone Stadium)
Date: Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Attendance: 152
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Senior goaltender Elizabeth Driscoll (Marblehead, Mass.) was forced into action early for Saint Anselm. She denied three shots by Saint Michael's to keep it scoreless.
- The Hawks got on the board first with 6:40 left in the first quarter while down a player. Senior Abigail Christmas (Elmira, N.Y.) cut to the net, received a pass from senior Kendra Sabotka (Rutland, Vt.), and finished into the top left corner for the game's opening goal.
- Christmas scored the next two for the Hawks as well with one coming off a free-position shot, capping off the hat trick in the first quarter to give her team a 3-0 advantage.
- Before the end of the period, freshman Ayla McDermod (Hanover, Mass.) drove to the net and bounced in a player-up goal. Sabotka added a free-position tally less than a minute later as Saint Anselm took a 5-0 lead entering the second.
- About five minutes into the second quarter, Christmas caught a pass from junior Brianna Fruci (Walpole, Mass.) and finished her fourth goal of the night, which matched her career-high for a single game.
- Senior Samantha Rivet (Sudbury, Mass.) resumed the scoring for the Hawks with a player-down score a few minutes later. She sprinted to an open space in front of goal, caught a pass from sophomore Alyssa Hill (Brookline, N.H.), and beat the goalie low, making it a 7-0 game.
- Saint Anselm added two more goals before halftime. Balboni and sophomore Lucy Mawn (Harwich, Mass.) each scored unassisted goals late in the first half as the Hawks maintained a 9-0 edge at the intermission.
- The Hawks continued to dominate with a seven-goal third quarter as their lead increased to 16-0. After a free-position goal by McDermod to start the second half, Balboni scored three straight goals for the home team with two coming on player-up opportunities.
- Mawn produced her second goal midway through the quarter, while Hill and sophomore Julia Rowley (Dover, N.H.) each scored for Saint Anselm in the final three minutes of the third.
- The Hawks went on to add two more goals in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter. Junior Lucy Davis (Roswell, Ga.) and freshman Shannon Mahoney (Norfolk, Mass.) each found the back of the net, with Mahoney's being her first collegiate goal, as the lead grew to 18-0.
- Brynn Bertucci and Lila Peddie finally got Saint Michael's on the scoreboard with a pair of late goals, but it was not nearly enough as Saint Anselm soared to the victory by a final score of 18-2.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Saint Anselm held a 35-19 advantage in total shots as well as a 26-14 edge in shots on goal.
- The Hawks also won the battle in the center circle and doubled up the Purple Knights in draw controls, 16-8 (66.7%). Mawn led the Hawks with a career-high eight draw controls.
- Ground balls were nearly even as Saint Anselm maintained a 19-16 lead in that category.
- The Hawks committed 19 turnovers in the game, while the Purple Knights had 17 giveaways. The Hawks defense caused 10 of those turnovers, while the Purple Knights defense forced 13 turnovers.
- Saint Anselm went 19-23 (82.6%) on clear attempts, while Saint Michael's went 15-21 (71.4%).
- The game featured nine penalties with the Hawks earning four and the Purple Knights earning five. There were four green cards and five yellow cards issued.
- As a result, there were four player-up goals and two player-down goals scored in the contest, all by Saint Anselm.
- Balboni and Christmas scored four goals apiece to lead the Hawks. Mawn and McDermod each scored twice in the win.
- Six other student-athletes scored for Saint Anselm, including Sabotka with a goal and career-high three assists. Mahoney scored for the first time in her collegiate career for the Hawks.
- Hill and Sabotka are now tied for the team lead with 26 points this season. McDermod currently leads the squad with 22 goals, while Christmas is second with 20.
- Bertucci and Peddie each scored once in the loss for Saint Michael's.
- Driscoll made eight saves and did not allow a goal in three quarters of action to earn the win for the Hawks.
- Sophomore Madelin Dunbar (Chelmsford, Mass.) and freshman Aiko Fujita (Southold, N.Y.) split the final quarter in the cage and each made two stops.
- Maddie Nutter earned the loss after making seven saves and allowing 15 goals in between the pipes for Saint Michael's. Laura Dickerson also saw action in goal and made a save for the visitors.
- This marked the 29th all-time meeting between these two programs. Saint Anselm improves to 19-10 overall against Saint Michael's in the series that began in 2000.
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