When and Where: April 1, 2023 – Hooksett, N.H. (Ouellette Stadium)
Score: #2 Pace University 19, #24 Southern New Hampshire University 5
Records: SNHU 6-3 (2-3 NE10), Pace 8-1 (5-0 NE10)
Senior
Angelina Graziano (Riverhead, N.Y.) and junior
Shelby Cole (Gilford, N.H.) each tallied a goal and an assist, but the 24th-ranked Southern New Hampshire University women's lacrosse team fell to second-ranked Pace University, 19-5, Saturday afternoon at Ouellette Stadium.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Graziano – 1 goal, 1 assist, 1 ground ball, 1 caused turnover
- Cole – 1 goal, 1 assist
- Senior Skylar Renaud (E. Waterboro, Maine) – 1 goal, 4 draw controls, 3 ground balls, 1 caused turnover
- Junior Skylar Pietz (Dudley, Mass.) – 1 goal, 4 draw controls, 2 ground balls
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Cole set up a Renaud goal just 1:29 into the contest to stake Southern New Hampshire to a 1-0 lead, but Pace would rattle off six straight, including five-in-a-row to end the opening quarter, to grab a 6-1 advantage just 37 seconds into the second stanza.
- Cole then scored a goal of her own off a Graziano assist 16 seconds later, but Pace scored the final four of the half to take a 10-2 lead into the break.
- The Setters began the third with two more strikes to make it 12-2 8:18 in, before Graziano and Pietz buried two of the next three goals to pull the Penmen within 13-4 with 1:41 left to in the third. Pace scored with 45 seconds on the clock and then tallied the first five of the fourth quarter to open a 19-4 advantage with 4:46 remaining. Senior Courtney Cronin (Woburn, Mass.) capped the scoring with 1:45 to go.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Junior goalkeeper Megan Petko (Monroe, N.Y.) made five saves over the opening 27:12, while freshman Megan Mollman (Chester, Md.) stopped six of the 15 shots she saw in the final 32:48.
- Pace goalie Samantha Tanguay turned away nine of the 13 shots that came her way in the initial 52:00. Ashley Belfiore played the final 8:00 and allowed one goal.
- Pace doubled up SNHU in shots, 34-17, including 8-1 in the final frame.
- The Setters owned a 15-10 advantage in draw controls and held a 23-22 edge in ground balls.
- Pace went 2-for-7 on its free-position shots, while Southern New Hampshire was 1-for-4.
- SNHU was 12-for-13 on clear attempts, with Pace going 16-for-18.
- The Penmen had 21 of the game's 34 turnovers.
NOTES
- SNHU, which is ranked 24th in the latest ILWomen/Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division II Poll, has dropped two straight for the first time all season.
- Pace, ranked second, leads the all-time series with SNHU, 5-2, and has captured five-in-a-row, including three straight on the road. The last win for the Penmen in the series came March 19, 2016 (14-10).
- The Penmen are still outscoring their nine opponents this season, 134-88.
WHAT'S NEXT
- The Penmen are back in action Tuesday (April 4) at 4 p.m. when they play host to No. 12 Bentley University.
