NEWTON, MA - Saint Joseph’s College (8-0-1, 5-0 GNAC) rattled off nine goals through the final 16 minutes of a GNAC Women’s Lacrosse showdown with Lasell College (7-5, 3-2 GNAC) on Friday afternoon to remain undefeated with a 14-10 victory over the Lasers.
SJC midfielder Lauren Hagerman (Scarborough, ME) notched seven points, scoring five goals and firing out two assists, while Alyssa Marchant (Wakefield, MA) aided to the Monks triumph with four points and a game-high 10 ground balls. Goalkeeper Taylor Allison (Pawtucket, RI) turned away seven Laser shots in her eighth win of the season.
It was a back-and-forth affair on Grellier Field as the teams battled for the edge on the scoreboard. Three ties and three lead changes ensued, with Lasell taking a five-goal lead (10-5) before Saint Joseph’s late rally led them to the final victory.
St. Joe’s took the first lead of the game just under two minutes into the contest. Amelia Santos (Beverly, MA) sprinted down the right side of the field and crossed a pass to Lizzie Farley (Scarborough, ME) who was tearing down the left wing for the score. Tina Canavan (Stonington, CT) leveled the playing field for Lasell, scoring on a free possession shot at 17:16.
Less than thirty seconds later, Hagerman picked up a Laser turnover and broke down field from the Monks defensive zone and drove through traffic, finding Erika Waterhouse (South Portland, ME) on the opposite corner to recapture control of the lead.
Hagerman then put the Monks further in the lead, 3-1, with her first mark of the game at 13:31. The play began with a Lasell turnover on what would have been a penalty shot, and Hagerman picked up the ground ball and proceeded to breakaway down field and score.
Canavan closed the gap to one, at 6:20, and then tied up the game at three-all two minutes later. Both of Canavan’s goals were unassisted.
Ashley Slattery (Weymouth, MA) gave Lasell their first lead of the contest with 57 seconds left in the half. The rookie midfielder dodged through traffic in front of the Monks net and shot to the high left corner past Allison in Saint Joseph’s net. Canavan then added to the Lasers edge, rolling from the right wing and scoring over a Monk defender as time expired in the period. The Lasers had produced a 5-3 advantage into the break.
Megan Cutter (Westbrook, ME) scored at the two minute mark of the second half, shooting from 10 meters out off the stick of Marchant.
However, Canavan struck five times in the following seven minutes to produce the Lasers five-goal lead. The junior midfielder first attacked at six minutes into the frame, launching from the eight meter arc and giving the Lasers a two-goal lead. Thirty six seconds later, Canavan found Karynne Carbral (Brookfield, CT) cutting through the middle to score. A minute after that, at 22:07, Canavan patiently made her way around the perimeter before penetrating through the defense for her sixth goal, and then charged through the lane for her seventh goal, at 19:03.
Hagerman broke up the Lasers 4-0 run with a free possession goal with 18:16 on the clock, yet Canavan proved to be relentless, giving Lasell a 10-5 lead at 17:16, sneaking through the left side and receiving a leading pass from Slattery through the middle.
Two goals each by Marchant, Hagerman, and Jaimee Brett (Otisfield, ME) launched the Monks into a 6-0 streak which changed possession of the lead back to Saint Joseph’s. The Monks stretched the run to 9-0 over a 16 minute span to close the game.
Brett would score the game-winning goal in the GNAC tussle, picking up a pass through the crease from Santos with 8:15 left to play.
Lasell nearly scored in the following possession during a scrum in front of the Monks net, but Allison finally scooped up the ground ball to prevent the Lasers from tying the game. Allison then further denied two tough shots by Lasell’s Chelsea Caren (Redding, CT) in the final two minutes. Marchant, Waterhouse, and Hagerman all added unassisted insurance goals through the final six minutes of the contest.
Canavan was the high-scorer in the contest with eight goals and one assist, totaling nine points in the defeat. She also had a game-best eight draw controls and collected five ground balls. Slattery finished with two points and seven draw controls in the setback.
The contest marks the first time the Monks have triumphed over the Lasers in the history of the meetings between the teams. Lasell had topped the Royal Blue in each of the two previous contests in the last two years.
St. Joe’s will play at St. Joseph (CT) tomorrow at 1:00 PM, while Lasell hits the road for their final four regular season games, beginning with a trip to neighboring Mount Ida College on Monday, April 12th, at 4:00 PM.
