NEWTON, Mass. (4/9/15) – A goal on the man-up advantage by junior midfielder Bridget Munnelly (Bellingham, Mass.) with ten seconds left on the clock lifted the Lasell College women's lacrosse team over Emmanuel College, 10-9, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Thursday afternoon at Grellier Field. The crucial win improves the Lasers to 7-4 and 5-1 in the GNAC, while the Saints drop to 8-3 overall and 4-3 in conference play.
The Lasers were paced by senior attack Caitlyn Brecher (Cheshire, Conn.) who registered her third hat trick of the season, while freshman Taylor Yandow (Moretown, Vt.) also chipped in with a pair of goals. Seniors Toni Minelli (Newington, Conn.) and Bri Daley, (Watertown, Conn.) and juniors Bridget Doherty (Franklin, Mass.) and Ashlee Pechulis (Westfield, Mass.) all added single markers in the victory.
Emmanuel received two goals apiece from senior Madison Altwies (Southington, Conn.) and juniors Sarah Higgins (Groveland, Mass.) and Kristen Tuleja (Mansfield, Mass.). Seniors Sarah Wootten (Berlin, Md.) and Alexia Basile, (West Hartford, Conn.) and sophomore Emily Baker (Stratham, N.H.) all potted single goals to account for the rest of the Saints' offense.
Down 7-3 at halftime, Lasell tallied four straight goals to pull even with the visiting Saints, 7-7. Pechulis found the back of the cage 36-seconds into the second stanza on a free position shot, while Minelli followed with a shorthanded unassisted marker with 22:06 to play.
Pechulis found Brecher for the Lasers' sixth goal at the 20:50 mark, while Daley added the seventh of the game 1:14 later on a feed by Minelli at 14:53. Emmanuel and Lasell traded goals until the score broke even once again, 9-9, until ten seconds remained on the clock.
The Lasers were awarded with a man-up opportunity with 50-seconds to play. Munnelly was given possession of the ball, drove into the crease and registered the game-winning goal as the seconds ticked off the clock. Emmanuel won the final draw of the game, but the Lasers' defense held strong over the remaining seconds to claim a 10-9 conference victory.
Lasell senior goalkeeper Alexa Katsigianis (Amherst, N.H.) improved her record to 7-4 this spring with nine saves in net, while in the other crease, junior Lauren White (Lynnfield, Mass.) made 11 stops on 21 shots for the Saints.
Defensively, Yandow scooped up a team-high six ground balls and caused three turnovers, while Minelli, Doherty and Munnelly each picked up three ground balls apiece for Lasell. Emmanuel sophomore Savannah Lundwall (Fiskdale, Mass.) and freshman Stephanie Warn (Hanson, Mass.) both tallied four ground balls to lead the Saints' defensive efforts.
Lasell outshot Emmanuel 25-22, controlled 12 of 20 draws and went 9-for-15 on clearing attempts, as both teams were even with 19 ground balls apiece.
Both teams return to GNAC action this Saturday, April 11. Lasell hosts Emerson for Senior Day at 3:30 p.m., while Emmanuel travels to Albertus Magnus at 12:00 p.m.