Lauren Stille, Jaksina, Leach collect three points each

KEENE, N.H. (March 31, 2011) – Junior midfielder Sammi Benson scored her second goal of the game with 2:30 to play in regulation on Thursday evening to give Keene State a 12-11 win over the Franklin Pierce University women's lacrosse team in non-conference play at Owl Athletic Complex. Senior attacker Lauren Stille (North Quincy, Mass.) led Franklin Pierce with three goals.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 5-2 (2-1 Northeast-10), while Keene State improves to 2-4 (0-0 Little East).

Keene State controlled play during large stretches of the first half and netted four of the first five goals over the opening 18:45. Five different Owls struck for Keene State in the run, while seven different players picked up a point. The lone Franklin Pierce goal of the stretch came from sophomore midfielder Lindsey Leach (Hamden, Conn.), who netted her first of two goals and picked up her first of three points on the day.

The teams would then trade goals over the remainder of the first half, as Keene State took an 8-5 lead into the intermission. In the final two minutes of the period, Stille scored two goals in a span of 19 seconds to pull the Ravens within a goal at 6-5. However, Keene State senior attacker Jill Kirk would answer with a pair of goals 17 seconds apart to restore the three-goal lead.

The Franklin Pierce offense picked up the pace in the second half with four of the first five goals over a span of 15:07 to tie the game at 9-9. After the teams traded goals in the first five minutes, Stille netted her third of the game and then senior attacker Jordan Baillargeon (Westfield, Mass.) and junior midfielder Christine McKay (Norwood, Mass.) found the back of the net in succession to tie things up. Senior attacker Ashley Moirano (Vero Beach, Fla.) contributed a goal and an assist in the 4-1 run.

After the teams traded goals once again, junior defender Kim Jaksina (Townsend, Mass.) scored unassisted with 7:50 to play in regulation to give Franklin Pierce its only lead of the evening at 11-10. However, Keene State sophomore midfielder Lauren Brown scored off an assist from Kirk with 4:19 to play to tie it at 11-11, and Benson put home the game-winner with 2:30 to play to send the Owls away with the 12-11 win.

Stille (3-0-3), Jaksina (2-1-3) and Leach (2-1-3) all led the Franklin Pierce offense with three points each in the game and were also the only multiple-goal scorers for the Ravens. Baillargeon (1-1-2), Moirano (1-1-2) and sophomore midfielder Courtney Weber (Centerport, N.Y.) (0-2-2) all finished with two points each. Defensively, Leach collected a team-high six ground balls, while McKay and Jaksina scooped up five each.

For Keene State, Kirk led the way with three goals and an assist for four points, while three other players picked up three points apiece: junior midfielder Caitlyn Corace (2-1-3), senior attacker Lauren Sawyer (0-3-3) and Benson (2-1-3). Sophomore midfielder Nicole Curry picked up a game-best nine ground balls.

Keene State posted a 39-31 advantage in shots and held a 35-31 edge in ground balls in the game. Franklin Pierce was successful on 19 of 24 (79.2%) clear attempts and finished 1-for-9 on free-position shots. Keene State went 17-for-22 (77.3%) on clear attempts and 0-for-6 on free-position shots.

The Ravens return to the field on Monday, April 4, when they return home to host New Haven in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Game time is set for 4 p.m. at Sodexo Field in Rindge.

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).