Women's Lacrosse Falls 15-8 as Plymouth State Pull Away in Second Half

PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Seven different Panthers players scored as Plymouth State University pulled away from Emmanuel College, 15-8, in non-conference women's lacrosse action at Panther Field on Friday evening. Panthers junior Julia Donovan (Antrim, N.H.) and senior Tarryn O'Brien (Weymouth, Mass.) posted five points apiece.
 
The teams played even through the first half and the score was deadlocked at 5-5 3:33 into the third quarter, but PSU closed the frame on a 5-1 spurt to take control. The Panthers put the game away in the fourth quarter, outscoring the visitors by a 5-2 margin to secure the victory.
 
Plymouth State wins its home opener to run its record to 2-0, while the Saints dip to 0-2.
  
The Basics:

• Plymouth State 15, Emmanuel 8
  • Plymouth State (2-0)
  • Emmanuel (0-2)

How it Happened:

• Freshman Sammy Murphy (Harrisville, R.I.) buried her first collegiate goal just 1:13 into the game as PSU took an early lead.
• The Saints answered back 1:32 later with sophomore Madeline Wright (Mattapoisett, Mass.), and the game remained tied until late in the frame.
• Senior Alyssa Hogan (Westborough, Mass.) gave Emmanuel a 2-1 lead with 3:31 left in the first before O'Brien answered for the Panthers.
• Junior Maddie Hunt (Littleton, Mass.) restored the lead, 3-2, in the final seconds of the quarter.
• Each team scored once in the second, with O'Brien netting her second of the game for the Panthers, as PSU carried a narrow 4-3 lead into halftime.
• Twice Emmanuel tied the game in the third, but the Panthers quickly responded each time. The visitors pulled even 1:18 into the third with a goal by sophomore Livia Fedele (Spencerport, N.Y.), but Murphy answered right back to make it 5-4.
• The Saints tied things at 5-5 just over a minute later, this time on a goal by sophomore Avery Robillard (Rowley, Mass.), but Hunt had the answer less than 20 seconds later to restore the 6-5 lead.
• Senior Megan Gaspa (Laconia, N.H.) and Murphy beat the Emmanuel goalie to extend the margin to 8-5 midway through the third.
• Emmanuel cut the deficit to 8-6 with three minutes to play, but Gaspa and Donovan each scored in the final 30 seconds to carry a 10-6 advantage into the fourth quarter.
• Donovan and O'Brien went back-to-back to push the margin to 12-6 in the opening two minutes of the fourth.
• Emmanuel attempted to keep pace with a score with 9:14 left to play, but Donovan buried her third of the game and senior Amelia Thomas (Hopkinton, N.H.) and junior Jenna Stowell (Londonderry, N.H.) followed to put the game away.
• The Saints tacked on one more with two minutes to play to account for the final score.

By the Numbers:

• Donovan and O'Brien each tallied three goals and two assists. Donovan chipped in a pair of ground balls, while O'Brien added two caused turnovers.
• Murphy also scored three times for the Panthers.
• Hunt (two goals), Gaspa (two goals), Stowell (one goal, two assists) and Thomas (one goal, one assist) all had multi-point games.
• Junior Margie Black (Longmeadow, Mass.) made three saves.
• Wright finished with a hat trick, giving her a team-high six goals this season.
• Fedele netted a pair of goals and added one assist for a three-point night.
• Junior Isabella Thomas (Miami, Fla.) made 11 saves in the loss.

 
Up Next:

• PSU welcomes Framingham State to town on Tuesday (Mar. 5). Game time is set for 4:00 p.m.
• The Saints travel to Manhattanville on March 6 for a 4:00 p.m. game.

**Portions of this release courtesy Plymouth State Athletic Communications Office