NEWTON, (4/20/16) – 13 goals in the first half propelled the Lasell women's lacrosse team to a 19-9 victory over Simmons College in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Wednesday afternoon. The Lasers improve to 8-5 on the year and 4-2 in the GNAC, while the Sharks dip to 5-8 overall and 2-4 in league play.
Sophomore Taylor Yandow (Moretown, Vt.) added to her stellar season with a game-high six goals, two assists, and three draw controls. Seniors Ashlee Pechulis (Westfield, Mass.) and Bridget Munnelly (Bellingham, Mass.) registered four goals apiece in the victory, while classmate Taylor Dooley (Barnstable, Mass.) scored two goals and dished out a single assist. Rounding out the scoring for the Lasers was freshman Jordan McComb (Cumberland, R.I.), senior Stefanie Welch (Hancock, N.H.) and classmate Bridget Doherty (Franklin, Mass.), who all found the back of the net once for Lasell.
Senior Alexia Malone Oliver (Bristol, R.I.) led the attack for the Sharks with her second hat-trick of the season while freshman Elena Bragg (Belmont, Mass.) chipped in with a pair of markers in the effort. Senior Ashley Sheehan (North Attleboro, Mass.), sophomores Kasey Fries (Bridgewater, Mass.) and Gabrielle Klane (Franklin, Mass.), and freshman Mallory Cottam (Hope, R.I.) accounted for the remainder of the Sharks' offense.
After Munnelly grabbed the opening draw, Yandow made her way to the Sharks' defensive zone and opened the scoring 2:22 into the contest. Yandow led the first half charge with four goals, creating the 7-2 gap on back-to-back markers with 11:58 left in the stanza. Pechulis followed the trend with two consecutive goals of her own for the 10-point bump before Welch netted her fifth goal of the year from Dooley's pocket. Klane secured the ground ball from the draw after Welch's goal, and made her way to the Lasers' net for her second goal of the year, as Simmons trailed 13-2 heading into the halftime break.
The Sharks were first to strike in the final 30 as Sheehan put away a free position shot 1:03 into play. Malone Oliver collected a rebounded shot from Fries – with junior reliever Brooke Bergeron (Lynn, Mass.) on the save – and netted the Sharks' fifth goal of the afternoon to cut the deficit to eight. The Sharks were unable to cut any closer to the lead, as Dooley put away her 17th goal of the year on a feed from sophomore Danielle Chambrelli (Cheshire, Conn.) for the 19-9 final.
Lasell starting goalkeeper Bridget Delaney (Weymouth, Mass.) earned the win (2-1) with one save, while Bergeron saved four shots in second half relief. Freshman Kenzie Rogers (Bourne, Mass.) suffered the loss in net for Simmons with nine saves on the day.
Both teams return to GNAC action on Saturday, April 23. The Lasers play their last road game at Johnson and Wales for a 1:00 p.m. start, while the Sharks host Albertus Magnus at 11:00 a.m.