MANCHESTER, N.H. –  The Saint Anselm College women's lacrosse team, ranked 22nd in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association Poll, fell in its Northeast 10 Conference opener to No. 12 Pace University by a final score of 16-12 on Thursday evening at Grappone Stadium.

Highlights

• Sophomore Ayla McDermod led the Hawks will four goals and six points in the setback while also tying junior Lucy Mawn with four draw controls. McDermod also caused two Pace turnovers and secured one ground ball.
• Junior Alyssa Hill made her mark with two goals and three assists for five points.
• Senior captain Brianna Fruci recorded a hat trick to help finish with four points, scoring her three goals on three shots. Additionally, she registered two caused turnovers and two ground balls.
• Freshman Kendall Herrick recorded one goal and one assist as sophomore Devan Spinale and junior Julia Rowley each notched one goal.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Aiko Fujita made 10 saves in the loss.
• Saint Anselm went 14-for-16 (87.5%) on clearing attempts.

How it Happened

Trailing 3-1 with 7:37 to play in the first quarter, the Hawks went on a five-goal run spanning 11:54 of action, putting the Hawks in front, 6-3 with 10:43 to play in the opening half. Rowley and Spinale each scored man-up goals while Fruci and McDermod each added a pair to round out the scoring during the run.

The Setters went on to score four-consecutive goals to erase the Hawks' lead and regain a one-goal advantage with 4:14 left in the second, with Pace leading 7-6. Saint Anselm and Pace both scored a pair in the final minutes of the half as Pace took a one-goal edge to the locker room.

Coming out of the break, the Hawks converted on a man-up opportunity as Fruci completed her hat trick tying the score at 9-9. Each side traded goals in the remainder of the period as Pace scored a man-down goal to give the Setters an 11-10 lead heading into the fourth.

Saint Anselm tied the game 23 seconds into the final frame with a McDermod man-up goal. From there, Pace went on to post five consecutive goals in a 10:35 span to take a commanding 16-11 lead. Hill scored the final game of the contest with 37 left as Pace held on for a 16-12 victory.

Up Next

The Hawks (2-2) will head south for a three-game slate in The Sunshine State over Spring Break. Saint Anselm will open its Florida trip with a neutral-site clash against Quincy University (3-3) on Monday, March 16 with a 4 p.m. game being played at the Embry-Riddle Lacrosse Field in Daytona Beach.