WALTHAM, Mass. (March 27, 2019) – After clinging to a one-goal lead at halftime, No. 19 nationally ranked Bentley clamped down in the second half against the Franklin Pierce University women's lacrosse team on Wednesday night. The Ravens were able to tie the game early in the second stanza, but Bentley then struck for six of the game's final eight goals and pulled away late for a 14-10 victory in Northeast-10 Conference play at Sodexo Field.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 5-3 (2-3 NE10), while Bentley improves to 5-1 (3-1 NE10).

Bentley poured in the first four goals over the opening eight minutes on Wednesday, and scored five of the first six to jump to a 5-1 lead with 17:13 to play in the first half. Sophomore midfielder Cara McCarthy scored twice in the game-opening run for the Falcons, while junior attack Bella Lima (Hudson, Mass.) had a man-down goal to get Franklin Pierce on the board.

The Ravens showed some resiliency through the middle and latter stages of the first half. The Ravens fired home the next six goals of the game, over a span of 10 minutes, and were able to take as much as a two-goal lead, when freshman midfielder Kaitlyn Daly (LaGrangeville, N.Y.) put a shot into the upper reaches of the net with 4:48 left in the half, to make it 7-5. Freshman attack Savannah Ernst (American Fork, Utah) and junior attack Sarah Heckman (Atkinson, N.H.) scored twice each in the surge for the Ravens.

Bentley reclaimed the lead before halftime, as the Falcons scored the final three goals of the period, capped by McCarthy's third goal of the half with just 14 seconds remaining. Franklin Pierce would tie the game at 8-8 just 37 seconds into the second half, when Lima beat her defender with speed and put home her second goal of the night.

From there though, Bentley was able to seize control of the game. The Falcons put home the next three goals to jump to an 11-8 lead, and ultimately scored six out of seven to extend the lead all the way out to 14-9. McCarthy scored three times in the second half to cap her six-goal game. Ernst capped the scoring for Franklin Pierce with 95 seconds to play, to finish off her hat trick and create the 14-10 final.

Ernst led Franklin Pierce with three goals on the night, while Lima added three points of her own on two goal and an assist, and Heckman scored two goals as well. Sophomore midfielder Zoe Totland (Salt Lake City, Utah) led all players with both four ground balls and five draw controls, while Totland and Lima caused a pair of turnovers each.

McCarthy led Bentley with six goals, while freshman attack Caroline Boudreau tallied a hat trick as well. They were the only two Falcons to collect more than two points on the night. Freshman defender Priscilla Bibeau picked up three ground balls and caused a pair of turnovers, while sophomore midfielder Julia Glavin snagged four draw controls.

Freshman goalkeeper Megan Bacik (Huntington Station, N.Y.) finished with six saves against 20 shots and suffered the loss (5-3) in the Franklin Pierce crease. Junior Eliza Bresler (5-1) made 15 saves against 25 shots at the other end of the field to pick up the win for Bentley.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, March 30, when they travel to Southern Connecticut State for an NE10 contest. Game time is set for 1 p.m. at Jess Dow Field in New Haven, Conn. 

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (https://www.fpuravens.com). 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 lacrosse apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (https://www.fpuravens.com/store).