Stille scores five goals and ties for the game-high with eight points

Boxscore

RINDGE, N.H. (April 5, 2008) – Southern Connecticut State University received a game-high six goals from sophomore Teresa Monfredo (Shirley, N.Y./William Floyd) as the Owls thwarted a Franklin Pierce University comeback in a 23-15 victory in Northeast-10 Conference women’s lacrosse action on Saturday afternoon at Sodexho Field.

Monfredo received plenty of help on the offensive end from senior Allison Kownacki (Orange, Conn./Amity) and freshman Rachel Carlucci (Franklin, Mass./Franklin). Kownacki scored five goals and added three assists for a team-high eight points, while Carlucci netted five goals for the visitors. Junior Grace Martha (Cheshire, Conn./Cheshire) and freshman Amanda Dilger (Ocean Township, N.J./Ocean Township) also scored three times each for the Owls.

Freshman Lauren Stille (North Quincy, Mass./North Quincy) led the Ravens offensively with five goals and three assists for eight points, tying her season-high point total. Classmate Jordan Baillargeon (Westfield, Mass./Westfield) tied her season-best with four goals and junior captain Carla Savini (Danvers, Mass./Danvers) had three goals and an assist for four points, while senior captain Celine Stamets (Sausalito, Calif./Mavin Catholic) netted two goals and added an assist for the Ravens.

Southern Connecticut came out strong to begin the game, taking the game’s first eight shots and scoring the first three goals to take an early 3-0 lead 9:09 into the first half. Stille responded 15 seconds after Dilger’s goal and Baillargeon followed a minute later to bring the Ravens to within one at 3-2. The teams alternated goals for the next eight minutes before Savini followed a Stille tally with her first of the game at 19:50 of the half to knot the game at six.

Southern Connecticut dominated the remainder of the first half, however, scoring six unanswered goals, including three from Monfredo and two by Carlucci, to take a 12-6 lead headed into halftime. At the break, SCSU held a 19-13 advantage in shots on goal.

Kownacki and Martha continued the Owl run with the first two goals of the second half, before Stille finally stopped the bleeding with her 30th of the year with 20:52 left in the game. Savini came back a mere 10 seconds later to lower the deficit to six at 14-8.

Southern Connecticut did not allow Franklin Pierce to string together more than three consecutive goals the rest of the way, however, as the Owls never let the lead get below five for the remainder of the afternoon. Stille (two) and Stamets combined for three tallies in 32 seconds to bring the Ravens within five (18-13) with 12:07 left, but Kownacki and Monfredo each scored and the Owls then tallied the final three goals of the game to quash any idea of a Raven comeback.

Sophomore Lisa Corso (North Bellmore, N.Y./Wellington Mepham) was big for Southern Connecticut in net on the day, making a career-high 19 saves on 34 shots to earn the win. Freshman Chaniece Franklyn (Chappaqua, N.Y./Horace Greeley) made seven saves on 19 shots in the first half for Franklin Pierce, while senior Michaela Sullivan (Arlington, Mass./ Arlington) made three saves on 14 shots in the second 30 minutes of play.

Franklin Pierce (1-7, 0-5 NE-10) continues its five-game homestand on Tuesday night, when the Ravens host Saint Anselm College in a NE-10 matchup at 6 p.m. Southern Connecticut (2-6, 2-2 NE-10) returns home for the first of four straight home matches against Adelphi University on Tuesday at 7 p.m.