PORTLAND, Maine (5/5/16) – The Lasell College women's lacrosse team is Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship bound after upsetting the top-seeded Monks 5-6 in the semifinal match Thursday evening at Deering Memorial Stadium. The Lasers improve to 12-6 on the year and will face JWU in the Championship on Saturday, while the Monks close out another strong year at 16-3.
Sophomore Taylor Yandow (Moretown, Vt.) scored her fifth hat trick in six games, with three ground balls, two draw controls, and a pair of caused turnovers. Senior Ashlee Pechulis (Westfield, Mass.) followed with a trio of her own, while classmate Bridget Munnelly (Bellingham, Mass.) owned the center circle with a game-high five draw controls.
Senior Kat Gadbois (Scarborough, Maine) kept her 13-game goal streak going with two markers to finish the year with 48 total, scoring in all but one contest for the Monks. Classmate Elizabeth Elcock (Westwood, Mass.) tossed in a pair of goals as well with leading scorer Elyse Caiazzo (Scarborough, Maine) accounting for the other lone goal in the effort.
The Monks were first to strike in the 3rd minute on an unassisted shot to net by Gadbois. Five minutes later, Yandow started her offensive surge on the 1-1 deadlock that stuck for the majority of the first half. 16 minutes of scoreless action featured four shots apiece from each side, but the playoff goalkeepers held the stalemate through the stretch. Junior keeper Bridget Delaney (Weymouth, Mass.) saved the Monks' lone shot on frame, while Michelle Cunha (Enfield, Conn.) had five stops in the segment.
Yandow converted on a free position shot with 6:06 left to go in the half, and closed out the first 30 with an unassisted goal to lead the Monks 3-1. Pechulis came in clutch in the opening minutes of the final half and connected on 2-of-2 free position shots for the 5-1 bump. With a Saint Joe's goal at 25:43 by Elcock, the Lasers continued to dominate on the field, as Pechulis scored her final goal with 16:05 to play.
Shortly after Pechulis' final marker, the Monks called for a timeout and began a late rally. Caiazzo ignited the charge on a goal from senior Meghan Williams (Greenland, N.H.), but seven minutes bled on the clock before Gadbois pulled the hosts within two, 6-4.
The Monks then fired on the counterattack from a Lasell turnover, where Elcock gave St. Joe's its brightest glimpse of life, 6-5, with 5:32 to go in regulation. The Lasers remained composed in the defensive end, and denied the Monks for a final shot on goal, to secure a spot in the Championship round for the second consecutive year.
Delaney recorded two saves in the victory and improves to 6-2 overall, while Cunha stopped seven shots and ends her last season at 16-2.
The Lasers will head to No. 2 seeded Johnson and Wales University on Saturday, March 7 at 1:00 p.m.