RINDGE, N.H. (April 2, 2019) – The Franklin Pierce University women's lacrosse team appeared to have something cooking at the end of the first half on Tuesday afternoon, as back-to-back goals from freshman attack Savannah Ernst (American Fork, Utah) closed a 7-2 gap down to 7-4. However, it was Saint Anselm which had the winning recipe at Sodexo Field, as the Hawks poured in the first six goals of the second half to take control, on the way to a 17-6 win over the Ravens in Northeast-10 Conference play. Ernst finished with three goals for Franklin Pierce, while Saint Anselm sophomore attack Sarah Morey led all players with six goals.

With the loss, Franklin Peirce falls to 6-4 (3-4 NE10), while Saint Anselm improves to 6-3 (4-2 NE10).

Saint Anselm started strong on Tuesday, with five of the game's first six goals. Morey scored a natural hat trick in the run, as the Hawks were staked to a 5-1 lead with 10 minutes to play in the first half. Franklin Pierce appeared poised to make a game of it though, as the Ravens scored three of the final five goals of the period, including Ernst's back-to-back tallies with 54 and six seconds remaining, to make it a 7-4 game at the break.

The second half was all Saint Anselm though. The Hawks outscored Franklin Pierce 10-2 after the intermission, and the Ravens did not score their first goal of the second half until just shy of the midpoint of the period. Morey scored three more goals in the second half, while freshman attack Jenna Balboni, senior midfielder Molly Beck and junior attack Breda Holland each put home a pair apiece. Junior attack Bella Lima (Hudson, Mass.) scored twice in the second half for Franklin Pierce. Franklin Pierce turned the ball over 22 times in the game, to just 14 for Saint Anselm.

In the end, Ernst (3-0-3) and Lima (2-1-3) were the only Ravens to record multiple points on the afternoon. Ernst finished the team's 10^th game of a scheduled 16-game campaign with 40 goals. The program single-season record is 73, set by Lauren Stille '11 in 2008.

Ernst also led the team with five draw controls, while freshman midfielder Kaitlyn Daly (LaGrangeville, N.Y.) picked up four ground balls. Daly and Lima caused a pair of turnovers each.

For Saint Anselm, Morey (6-0-6), Holland (4-2-6) and sophomore midfielder Kelsey Czarnota (0-6-6) all finished with six points apiece, while Beck (3-0-3) and freshman midfielder Taylor Cobain (4-1-3) added three each. Senior defender Elizabeth Kelly led all players with five ground balls and caused a game-best four turnovers, while Cobain and junior midfielder Lauren Lockard corralled four draw controls each.

Freshman goalkeeper Megan Bacik (Huntington Station, N.Y.) played the opening 21:32 in the Franklin Pierce net and finished with two saves against seven shots. Junior Casey Butera (West Milford, N.J.) took the loss (0-1) in relief after making 11 saves against 23 shots over the final 38:28.

Freshman Grace Young (1-0) went the distance in the Saint Anselm net and made nine saves against 15 shots to pick up the win.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, April 6, when they travel to Stonehill for an NE10 contest. Game time is set for noon at W.B. Mason Stadium in Easton, Mass. 

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).