PURCHASE, N.Y. – Saint Joseph's (L.I.) College scored eight straight goals to end the first half and start the second to open up a close game and pick up a 16-7 victory over Manhattanville College in non-conference women's lacrosse action on a freezing Wednesday afternoon at GoValiants.com Field.
Heather Ferchland led all scorers with six points for Saint Joseph's (3-3), scoring four goals and adding two assists, while Graceann Fallon also chipped in four goals in the win.
Manhattanville (2-2) was led by freshman
AnnaMarie Nardone (Thornwood, N.Y./Westlake), who scored a team-high four goals. Freshman
Jennifer Machin (Brunswick, Maine/North Yarmouth Academy) also made a contribution off the bench with a pair of assists.
The Golden Eagles soared out of the gates on Wednesday, scoring five goals in less than 10 minutes to open up a 5-0 lead with 20:25 left in the half. Nardone got the deficit down to four on two occasions with a pair of free-position scores, but SJC scored the final two goals of the frame to take an 8-2 lead into the half.
Saint Joseph's kept up the momentum coming out of the locker rooms, scoring twice in the first minute of the second half and adding four more in a row to take a 14-2 lead with 17:44 remaining.
Manhattanville showed some signs of life late in the contest, outscoring the visitors 5-2 the rest of the way. Nardone scored two of the five Valiant tallies, followed by single scores from sophomore
M.J. Caro (Nantucket, Mass./Nantucket), freshman
Christina Leva (Hawthorne, N.Y./Westlake) and sophomore
Sarah Dalsey (Ocean City, N.J./Ocean City).
Sophomore
Lauren Cassidy (Oceanside, N.Y./Oceanside) was a bright spot yet again for Manhattanville, turning aside 16 more shots – including several point-blank opportunities and 3-of-4 free-position attempts – to keep the Valiants in the game. Courtney Wickline made four saves in the first half to earn the win, while Katie McGarrell had five stops in the second half.
Manhattanville will be back in action on Tuesday, as the Valiants host Mount Saint Mary College at GoValiants.com Field for a 6 p.m. draw.
