Box Score PURCHASE, N.Y. – Saint Joseph's (L.I.) College outscored Manhattanville by a 13-2 margin over the first 30 minutes of play and coasted from there, posting a 17-8 victory over the Valiant women's lacrosse team in non-conference competition on Sunday afternoon at GoValiants.com Field.
 
The Golden Eagles boasted a very balanced attack on the afternoon, as 10 different players were able to find the net and 11 players had at least one point. Caitlynn Webber and Jackie Myers led the way for the visitors with four points apiece on three goals and one assist, while Heather Ferchland, Karalyn Tetelman and Gina Guardino both had two goals each.
 
Junior Casandra Honovich (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) had a game-high four goals for Manhattanville, followed by single tallies from seniors Maggie Howley (Philadelphia, Pa./Cardinal Dougherty) and Kelly Murray (Shrub Oak, N.Y./Lakeland) – the first collegiate goal for Murray – as well as junior Brooke Marcimo (Shrewsbury, Mass./Shrewsbury) and sophomore Mallory Bakst (Morganville, N.J./Marlboro).
 
The Golden Eagles did not dominate play on Sunday, posting just a 29-21 edge in shots. However, the visitors were much more accurate with their attempts, putting 25 of those 29 shots on goal compared to 13 on-target attempts for the home team.
 
The Valiants posted a 16-11 edge in draw controls, led by five each from Howley and Marcimo, and also won 17 ground balls to the Golden Eagles' 14, again led by Howley's game-high five.
 
St. Joseph's got tallies from Lisa Olen and Danielle Dittmeier to start the scoring before Manhattanville could get on the board with Honovich's first tally of the afternoon 9:17 into the first half. The visitors then came back with four goals in less than four minutes to open up a 6-1 advantage, but Honovich cut into the lead again with 16:15 remaining to make it 6-2.
 
But the rest of the half was all St. Joseph's, with the squad rattling off seven straight tallies over the final 14:40 to open up a commanding 13-2 lead at the intermission. Webber had three goals to lead all scorers at the break.
 
The Valiants did not go away quietly in the second half, scoring five of the first six tallies to get back within seven at 14-7 with 18:07 on the clock. Honovich started the run with a free-position score, and Howley added her first of the game with a nice individual effort toward the cage. Following a Gina Guardino score, Honovich and Murray scored 30 seconds apart, with Murray collecting her first career tally off an attempt from the eight-meter arc. Marcimo then kept the momentum going, registering her ninth of the year.
 
But that was as close as the home team would get the rest of the way, as the Golden Eagles scored the next three tallies to halt the Valiant momentum and hold on for the win.
 
Sophomore Kirsten Shaughnessy (Le Center, Minn./LeSueur-Henderson St. Peter) suffered the loss for Manhattanville, making eight saves on 25 shots. Erin O'Connor got the start in goal for SJC and made three saves on five shots in the first half, and then came back into the game for the final 19:07 after Colleen Fitzsimons ceded five goals on seven shots to start the second frame.
 
Manhattanville (1-7) will have two more road tune-ups before the start of conference play next week, beginning with perhaps its toughest test of the year at IWLCA #7 College of New Jersey on Thursday night in Ewing, N.J.