BOX SCORE

When and Where: February 26, 2016 – Manchester, N.H. (SNHU Fieldhouse)
Score: Southern New Hampshire University 17, Roberts Wesleyan College 11
Records: SNHU 1-0, Roberts Wesleyan 1-2

Freshman Kristin Wilder (Framingham, Mass.), sophomore Alexa Bedell (Londonderry, N.H.) and junior Casey Duggan (Framingham, Mass.) each recorded six points to lead the Southern New Hampshire University women's lacrosse team to a 17-11 season-opening victory against Roberts Wesleyan College on Friday afternoon at Larkin Field.

Wilder scored five goals and added an assist in her first collegiate game, while Bedell and Duggan each recorded three goals and three assists.

Cassley Jackowski led the Redhawks with three goals and two assists for five points.

The first career goals for freshman Marisa McLaughlin (New Milford, Conn.) and Wilder, as well as the first scores of the game for Duggan and Bedell, propelled the Penmen out to a 4-1 lead with 16:23 remaining in the opening half.

Roberts Wesleyan answered by scoring six of the next seven goals – with two coming from Ali Fox – to grab a 7-5 edge with 5:02 left in the stanza. SNHU would have the last response of the half, however, scoring the final four goals to bring a 9-7 advantage into the break. Wilder struck three times during the stretch, while senior Alexa Allen (E. Longmeadow, Mass.) registered a goal and a helper.

Southern New Hampshire kept it rolling into the second half as it opened the period with three straight goals, with Bedell setting up Duggan twice before scoring one of her own to expand the lead to 12-7 less than six minutes in.

Jackowski stopped the bleeding with a pair of goals that trimmed the Roberts Wesleyan deficit to three, but SNHU sealed it by scoring five of the next six goals to open a commanding 17-10 advantage with 7:00 on the clock.

Allen finished with two goals and two assists for four points, while freshman Mary Beth Sweeney (Foxborough, Mass.) potted the first two goals of her career.

Notes:
-Junior goalkeeper Nicole Kennedy (Windham, Maine) matched her career high in saves as she turned away 15 of the 26 shots that came her way.
-Southern New Hampshire outshot Roberts Wesleyan, 35-28, and a held a 20-10 advantage in draw controls.

Up Next:
The Penmen are back in action Saturday, March 5 (1 p.m.) when they play host to Dominican (N.Y.) College at Larkin.

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