WOMEN'S LACROSSE SPLITS SPRING BREAK TRIP

BOSTON, Mass. – Senior captain Sarah Higgins (Groveland, Mass.) tallied 11 points in the first two games of the season for Emmanuel College women's lacrosse. The Saints split the opening pair of contests, defeating Baldwin Wallace, 15-14 on Sunday, and losing 16-13 to SUNY Potsdam on Monday afternoon.

GAME 1

In Sunday's game against Baldwin Wallace, the Yellowjackets were in control for most of the first half, opening up leads of 4-0, 6-3, and 9-6, but the Saints hung tough and only trailed 9-8 at the break.

BW YEAR Hannah Albrechta scored two of her four goals in the opening three minutes before Emma Harding and Megan Patrick each added a tally to give the Yellowjackets a 4-0 lead less than five minutes into the season opener.

Emmanuel junior Savannah Lundwall bookended an Amanda Cook goal with two scores of her own, to draw the Saints within one.

Each team scored five goals in the last 21 minutes of the half, ending with Emily Baker and Monica Burdick scoring one minute apart just before the buzzer.

Kristen Tuleja tied the game one minute into the second half, but the Yellowjackets scored three of the next four to go back in ahead 12-10. Tuleja scored four goals in the final 16:10 of regulation, including the eventual game-winner with 4:29 left on the clock.

BW won the draw control battle 21-10, but was called for 28 fouls to Emmanuel's 10. The teams were even with 27 shots each, and the Saints forced BW to turn the ball over 23 times, while EC only gave it up 15 times.

GAME 2

The second game for the Saints began much like the first as SUNY Potsdam jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the opening five minutes. EC briefly took the lead when Baker, Tuleja, and Higgins strung together three goals to go ahead 7-6. However, the Bears answered with three of their own, including two from Murphy Newman, to end the half with a 9-7 lead.

SUNY Potsdam extended the lead to 11-7 with goals from Meaghan Paige and Cayla O'Connor and eventually stretched it to five goals, when Michaela Cole's tally made it 14-9.

The Saints scored four of the next five goals, as Baker, Tuleja, Higgins, and Lundwall all found twine, but a two-goal deficit is the closest they would get, as Cole iced it with 2:00 left to send the Bears to a 16-13 win.

EC won the draw control battle, 18-13, and outshot the Bears 37-28. Potsdam's Devan Olschewske made 14 saves in the win, while Lauren White had eight.

The Saints will return home from Florida and prepare for their next contest, which comes at 7:00 on Friday, March 18 against Emerson at Clemente Field.