OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. – The Manhattanville University women's lacrosse team kept rolling on Monday night as they defeated Old Westbury, 13-2, to pick up their second-straight victory. With the win, the Valiants improved to 5-7 overall and 2-2 in Skyline Conference play.
Colleen MacNeil (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac) accounted for a team-high six points on the day, scoring five goals and earning one assist. Pietra Cabral (Mineola, N.Y./Mineola), Gianna Mott (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Sachem North), and Meghan DeBellis (New Fairfield, Conn./New Fairfield) each notched a pair of points to help the Valiants' offense.
Manhattanville got off to a hot start as MacNeil scored the first goal of the contest only 30 seconds into regulation. Old Westbury responded with one of their own from Joann Williams at 1:16. From there, both teams would be held through the rest of the first quarter, tied at 1-1.
The Valiants then exploded for six goals through the second quarter, including a pair of goals from Meghan Debellis with a man up opportunity. Mott would also tally two goals while Cabral added one. Manhattanville would hold the Panthers scoreless through the 15 minutes, while allowing only one shot.
The second half would begin the same as the first with a goal from MacNeil at 38 seconds. This was followed up by a goal from Erin Flaherty (Rockland, Mass./Canterbury School), the fourth of her rookie season. At 6:50, Old Westbury's Williams scored her second goal of the day and the only other Panthers' goal of the contest. MacNeil tallied another pair of goals shortly after while rookie Sarah Knowles (Pawling, N.Y./Pawling) scored one of her own in between to take an 11-2 lead.
In the final quarter of regulation, Jocelyn Mazo (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck) would score the lone Valiant goal at 6:16. Manhattanville held the Panthers to just five shots through the final 15 minutes of play. As the clock ran down, the Valiants secured a 13-2 victory with their second straight win.
Jacee Russello (Hope Valley, R.I./North Kingstown Senior) played a full 60 minutes in net tallying seven saves, only allowing a pair of goals through the contest. The rookie netminder's goals-against average drops to 13.94 after a stellar showing against the Panthers.
MacNeil grabbed nine ground balls, collected seven draw controls, and caused five turnovers as the team's leader in each category.
The Valiants are back on their home turf tonight as they celebrate Senior Night and continue conference play against St. Joseph's Long Island at 6:30 p.m.
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