Saint Anselm Clips Franklin Pierce, 24-16
Stille records game-high eight goals and nine points for the Ravens

RINDGE, N.H. (April 8, 2008) – Junior Michaela Rocha (Rye, N.H./Berkshire School) had six goals and an assist to lead the Saint Anselm College women’s lacrosse team past Franklin Pierce University by a score of 24-16 in a Northeast-10 Conference matchup on Tuesday evening at Sodexho Field.

Rocha led the Hawks’ attack with six goals, and she added one assist for a team-high seven points. Senior Tiea Kurlowecz (Concord, Mass./Concord-Carlisle Regional) and freshman Courtney Ford (Concord, Mass./Concord-Carlisle Regional) each scored four goals each for Saint Anselm as well, while Ford added one assist for five points.

The Ravens’ freshman class provided much of the team’s scoring on the night, accounting for 14 of 16 goals and all three assists. Lauren Stille (North Quincy, Mass./North Quincy) led the way once again with a season-high eight goals and nine points, tying for third on the school’s single-game list in each category. Jordan Baillargeon (Westfield, Mass./Westfield) finished second on the team with three goals on the night, while Jillian Benn (North Quincy, Mass./North Quincy) also had three points on two goals and an assist.

Saint Anselm dominated play in the first half, putting 13 more shots on goal and outscoring the Ravens by eight, 15-7. After Kurlowecz scored the opening goal of the game, Stille (two) and junior captain Carla Savini (Danvers, Mass./Danvers) combined for the next three goals, giving the Ravens a 3-1 lead 3:53 in. But the Hawks scored eight of the next nine goals, including two each by Rocha and Ford, to jump out to a 9-4 lead with 14:06 remaining in the half. The team later scored five goals in a row towards the end of the first half to head into the break with an eight-goal lead.

Franklin Pierce attempted to get back into the contest in the second half, holding a 23-14 shot advantage and putting 18 shots on goal to Saint Anselm’s 12, but the Ravens had too little time in which to overcome the deficit. Stille had four goals in the second half, while Benn notched all three of her points in the final 30 minutes of play.

Freshman Katherine O’Hara (Norwell, Mass./Norwell) made 15 saves, including nine in the second half, to earn the win for the Hawks. Freshman Chaniece Franklyn (Chappaqua, N.Y./Horace Greeley) made 11 of her 14 saves in the first half for Franklin Pierce.

Franklin Pierce (1-8, 0-6 NE-10) will play the last of its five consecutive home games on Thursday night, as the Ravens step out of conference play against Norwich University at 7 p.m. Saint Anselm (3-6, 2-4 NE-10) is scheduled to host Assumption College on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Saint Anselm 24, Franklin Pierce 16

                                                                    1      2              F

Franklin Pierce (1-8, 0-6 NE-10)           7      9      -       16

Saint Anselm (3-6, 2-4 NE-10)               15   9      -       24

Franklin Pierce Scoring:

Goals: Lauren Stille 8, Jordan Baillargeon 3, Jillian Benn 2, Ashley Moirano 1, Carla Savini 1, May Stoffer 1.

Assists: Jillian Benn 1, Ashley Moirano 1, Lauren Stille 1.

Saint Anselm Scoring:

Goals: Michaela Rocha 6, Courtney Ford 4, Tiea Kurlowecz 4, Arden Lyons 2, Chelsea Rader 2, Emily Traicoff 2, 

Meghan Ayers 1, Jennifer Carew 1, Tia Karon 1, Beth Millian 1.

Assists: Meghan Ayers 1, Courtney Ford 1, Michaela Rocha 1, Emily Traicoff 1.

Goaltending:

Franklin Pierce: Chaniece Franklyn (60:00), 14 saves.

Saint Anselm: Katherine O’Hara (60:00), 15 saves.

 GAME STATISTICS AND BOX SCORE