Dozen First Half Goals Lift Women's Lacrosse Over Norwich, 17-12

BOSTON – A dozen first half goals for Emmanuel women's lacrosse provided the offensive boost for the Saints as they picked up a 17-12 win over the Norwich University Cadets on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Clemente Field in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play.

The Saints improve to 4-4 (2-0 GNAC) with the win and are a perfect 3-0 on Clemente Field this season. The Cadets drop to 3-2 (2-1 GNAC), losing their first conference game of the season.

Emmanuel was out of the gates quickly, scoring the first four goals of the game in the opening 3:05. Four different Saints scored in the run that had the Saints up 4-0. After two Cadets tallies in 51 seconds cut the deficit to 4-2, the Saints rattled off three straight goals to finish the quarter with a 7-2 lead.

Sophomore Madeline Wright (Mattapoisett, Mass.) netted a hat trick in the opening quarter while junior Rachel Canedy (Woodstock, Conn.) added a pair of goals.

The Saints scoring run continued in the second quarter, including two goals in the first 57 seconds, upping the Emmanuel lead to 9-2. Sophomore Avery Robillard (Rowley, Mass.) added a pair in a span of 2:16 in the middle of the quarter, giving Emmanuel an 11-2 lead. Canedy added her third of the afternoon with 4:41 remaining for a 10-goal advantage.

The Cadets would cap off the first half, scoring with 12.8 seconds, thanks to first-year Caitlyn Fielder (East Calais, Vt.). The final goal of the half for the Cadets would set up a comeback attempt for Norwich in the second half, as they trailed 12-3 at the break.

Norwich started their comeback attempt, outscoring the Saints 6-3 in the third quarter. Senior Leocadia Clark (Stowe, Vt.) and sophomore Athena Merck (West Yarmouth, Mass.) each netted a pair for the Cadets, as they trailed 15-9 with one quarter remaining.

After a slow start to the fourth, Norwich scored three goals in a 2:06 span, including a pair for junior Quinn Mustone (Medford, Mass.) and one by Clark, cutting the deficit to 15-12 with 5:21 remaining.

But the Saints managed to hold strong, thanks to a pair of big saves by junior goalie Isabella Thomas (Miami, Fla.). Thomas denied Merck and Fielder in the final four minutes, preserving the three-goal lead.

Emmanuel clinched the game late in the fourth on goals by sophomores Livia Fedele (Spencerport, N.Y.) and Ella Marschitz (Naperville, Ill.), as the Saints held on for the 17-12 victory.

Wright scored a season-high seven goals for the Saints while adding one assist for an eight-point afternoon. Canedy finished with a hat trick on five shots to go along with two ground balls. Marschitz added five points on two goals and three assists. Thomas improves to 4-4 with the win, making seven stops.

Clark finished with a team-high four goals to go along with two draw controls and two caused turnovers. Mustone had three goals for the Cadets while junior Ellie Moriarty (Stowe, Vt.) chipped in four points on one goal and three assists.

The Saints hit the road for the start of a four-game road trip on March 26 with a 6:00 p.m. game against Regis. The Cadets head to Vermont State at Castleton on March 27 for a 4:00 p.m. in non-conference play.