SAINTS SHUT DOWN BARD, 14-8

BOSTON, Mass. – Emmanuel College defeated the visiting Raptors of Bard College, 14-8, in non-conference women's lacrosse action played on Roberto Clemente Field on Monday night.  The host Saints used a four-goal run midway through the second half to pull away from the Raptors and take the win.  With the victory, Emmanuel improves to 3-1 on the season, while Bard falls to 3-2 overall.

Bard jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, with Stephanie LaMont (Skippack, Pa.) scoring just 29 seconds into the contest. This would be the Raptors' only lead of the night, however, as Emmanuel freshman Kristen Tuleja (Mansfield, Mass.) scored just two minutes later to knot the game at 1-all.

The contest would see ties again at two, three and four, before the Saints took the lead for good on an unassisted marker by Madison Altwies (Southington, Conn.) with ten minutes remaining in the first half.  Altwies would net her second goal in a thirty-second span, when she scored off an assist from Alexia Basile (West Hartford, Conn.) at 9:54, putting the hosts up, 6-4.

Emmanuel's Sarah Wootten (Berlin, Md.) scored her second of three goals on the night and Tuleja found the back of the net again for the Saints, giving Emmanuel an 8-4 edge with 2:35 remaining until the break.  Bard sophomore Joanna Regan (Selden, N.Y.) scored on a man-up opportunity just before the half to bring the spread to 8-5, Emmanuel, at halftime.

The two clubs traded goals out of the break with Emmanuel's Sarah Higgins (Groveland, Mass.) netting her second goal of the game and Mary-Elizabeth Clair (Bristol, R.I.) scoring off an assist from LaMont at the opposite end.  LaMont would connect on a free position try at 24:33 to set the score at 9-7, before the Saints went on their four-goal tear.

Senior captain Madeline Leahy (Cohasset, Mass.) kicked things off with her seventh goal of the season at 21:01. Basile scored unassisted at 19:40. Wootten gave herself a hat trick, when she hit her free position shot a 14:38 and Monica Burdick (Pawcatuck, Conn.) capped the run with a goal at 13:40, which gave the Saints a 13-7 lead.

The Raptors would score once more with just under three minutes remaining, as Victoria Fleisher (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored her ninth goal of the season.  Emmanuel got one more before it was over, when Burdick scored unassisted with just two seconds left.

The Saints were led by a three-goal, one-assist performance from Wootten. Higgins, Tuleja, Burdick and Altwies all scored twice each.  Basile finished with four points on the night, coming off one goal and three assists.  Higgins led the Saints defensively with a game-high seven groundballs.  Freshman goalie Lauren White (Lynnfield, Mass.) earned the win between the pipes for the Emmanuel, making two saves.

LaMont led the Raptors with four goals and an assist, as she now has 17 goals over her four games played.  Freshman middie Gina Lewis (San Ramon, Calif.) tallied a team-best three groundballs in the effort.  Junior goalie Mandy Huggins (Mukilteo, Wash.) made seven stops in net for the Raptors.

The Saints return to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action this Wednesday night, when they travel over to Simmons College for a Colleges of the Fenway (COF) rivalry with Simmons College.  Game time is set for 7:00 PM at the Winsor School Field. Bard traveled to Boston for a two-game road trip, as the Raptors play at Regis College in Weston tomorrow night.