Sweeney twins combine for seven points

RINDGE, N.H. (April 22, 2015) – Trailing just 8-5 at halftime, the Franklin Pierce University women's lacrosse team struck first in the second half at Sodexo Field on Wednesday afternoon, but Bentley ran off eight of the next nine goals to take a commanding lead en route to a 20-11 win in Northeast-10 Conference play. Junior midfielder Meredith Hart led the way with five goals for Bentley, while freshman midfielder Caitlin Sweeney (Shirley, N.Y.) had four goals and an assist in defeat for Franklin Pierce.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 7-7 (5-7 Northeast-10), while Bentley improves to 9-5 (8-4 Northeast-10).

Bentley opened the game with three straight goals, including back-to-back scores in the opening 3:08 for Hart, who cut out front and went to the right side of the net on both goals. Undeterred, Franklin Pierce struck for three of the next five goals over the ensuing 14 minutes through the middle of the first half. Freshman midfielder Briana Sweeney (Shirley, N.Y.) struck first with a bounce shot at close range, while senior midfielder Julia Smiley (Saunderstown, R.I.) and Caitlin Sweeney both finished out front.

Trailing 8-3, and with the game threatening to get away from them before halftime, the Ravens scored the final two goals of the half to make it 8-5 heading into the intermission. With 8:10 remaining, Caitlin Sweeney beat three defenders through the middle of the attacking end and picked the top-right corner. She then set up the final goal of the half, with 53 seconds remaining, feeding the ball from behind the net to junior attack Lauren Beville (Jamesville, N.Y.), who immediately cut out front and finished.

Junior attack Nicole Dale (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) cut out front and went to the lower-left corner 2:51 into the second half to cut the gap to 8-6, but Bentley took control from there. Three straight free-position goals -- one each from junior attack Kelsey Howard, sophomore attack Hannah Lindgren and Hart -- stretched the lead to 11-6, and then sophomore midfielder Ellie Shuman made it 12-6 by beating defenders through the goalmouth and scoring from close range. Smiley picked the top-right corner after a pass from Briana Sweeney from behind the cage to make it 12-7, before Bentley ran off another four straight goals. Franklin Pierce later closed the gap back to 16-10, but would get no closer, as Bentley scored four of the final five goals to create the 20-11 final.

After Caitlin Sweeney's five-point day, Dale and Beville finished with 2-1-3 each for Franklin Pierce. In other aspects of the game, Caitlin Sweeney snagged five draw controls, senior midfielder Amanda Gauvin (Ashburnham, Mass.) led the team with three ground balls, and both Gauvin and Smiley caused two turnovers each.

In addition to Hart's five goals, junior midfielder Erin O'Connor (3-2-5) and senior attack Jackie Brown (4-1-5) had five points each for Bentley. Brown and senior midfielder Amy Ernst each picked up four ground balls, while Hart corralled a game-best 12 draw controls. Five different Falcons caused one turnover each.

Sophomore goalkeeper Denise Hunt (Hull, Mass.) played the opening 56:43 in net for Franklin Pierce, finished with 12 saves against 29 shots on goal and took the loss (6-6). Sophomore Lauren Ochs made five saves against 16 shots to pick up the win (9-5) in goal for Bentley.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, April 25, for their regular-season finale, as they play host to New Haven in Northeast-10 Conference play. Game time is set for 2 p.m. at Sodexo Field.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce women's lacrosse apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' brand new online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).