FIVE SCORE 3+ GOALS, SAINTS HANDLE MUSTANGS

NEWTON, Mass. – The Mount Ida College women's lacrosse team fell to the Saints of Emmanuel College in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Saturday afternoon by a final score of 22-7.

With the setback, the Mustangs drop to 3-9 (2-4 GNAC) while the Saints remain undefeated in GNAC play at 6-0 and 9-2 on the season.

Mount Ida saw Hayley Napier (Fairhaven, Mass.) score a team high three goals on seven shots while Alyssa Kelly (Lee, Mass.) tallied two of her own. Samantha Basler (Plymouth, Mass.) and Nikki Kinneen (Salem, N.H.) each added a goal while Kinneen padded two assists.

Sarah Higgins (Groveland, Mass.) and the Saints started the contest on a 4-0 run in which Higgins started things for Emmanuel just seconds into the game. Amanda Cook (Saco, Me.) tallied her 8^th goal of the season following Higgins while Abaigeal Merrigan (Rye, N.H.) and Kristen Tuleja (Mansfield, Mass.) upped the score to 4-0.

Kelly cut into the Emmanuel lead with her 37^th marker of her freshman campaign before the Saints padded their lead at 6-1 off goals from Savannah Lundwall (Fiskdale, Mass.) and Tuleja's 45^th of the year.

After the Emmanuel brace, Napier got the Mustangs on the board again at the 14:04 mark of the opening half just before Cook and Lundwall struck again for the visitors, increasing the lead to 8-2. Basler notched her only goal of the game to bring Mount Ida to within five but Higgins added an unassisted marker, her 42^nd of the year, to up the lead once again.

Emmanuel scored three of the next four goals before the half from Tuleja, Sophia White (Monterey, Calif.) and Cook while taking the commanding 12-4 lead into the break.

Much like the first, the Saints opened the second half of play on a 5-0 run in which Tuleja, Emily Baker (Stratham, N.H.), Higgins (2), and Lundwall all scored while padding the lead at 17-4.

Kelly, a two time Corvias GNAC Player of the Week, added her second goal of the game on a free position shot at the 17:23 mark of the half.

Emmanuel scored five of the last seven goals of the contest from Baker (2), Higgins, and Tuleja (2) before Napier and Kinneen added tallies for the Mustangs.

The Saints outshot Mount Ida 40-22 while also holding the advantage in ground balls, 23-16. Both sides were equal on clears as they both went 12-14.

Jackie Tarsook (Derry, N.H.) made 13 saves in the conference clash while Lauren White (Lynnfield, Mass.) made just six of her own.

Mount Ida will take a seven day break before gearing up for Senior Day next Saturday when they take on Norwich at 12:00 PM. Emmanuel returns to the field in just three days when they travel to Saint Joe's (ME) with that game set for 8:00 PM.