Senior racks up nine points

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (April 9, 2011) – Senior attacker Jordan Baillargeon (Westfield, Mass.) matched a team season high with nine points on six goals and three assists on Saturday afternoon to lead the Franklin Pierce University women's lacrosse team to a 21-7 win at Southern Connecticut State in Northeast-10 Conference play at Jess Dow Field. Fellow senior attacker Lauren Stille (North Quincy, Mass.) added five points with four goals and an assist.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 6-4 (3-3 Northeast-10), while Southern Connecticut State falls to 0-9 (0-7 Northeast-10).

The Ravens set the tone of the afternoon early, as they jumped out of the gate with the first seven goals of the game over the opening 11:45. Baillargeon dished out two of her three assists in the game-opening run and put home a pair of goals as well, while junior attacker Brianna Nash (Oceanside, N.Y.) netted three goals.

SCSU scored three of the next four goals, including a pair from junior attacker Elaina Heiple, to close the gap to 8-3 before Franklin Pierce resumed its dominance. The Ravens poured in the final five goals of the half to take a commanding, 13-3 lead into the intermission. Stille put home two goals in the final run of the half, while Baillargeon scored twice to head into halftime with seven points on five goals and two assists.

The second half was slightly more balanced, though the Ravens did hold an 8-4 edge on their way to the 21-7 victory. Eight different players scored for Franklin Pierce in the second half, including a rare offensive strike for junior defender Kristen Norton (Sandown, N.H.), who netted the second goal of her career, both of which have come against SCSU.

Baillargeon's nine points led the way for Franklin Pierce and matched the highest point total by a Raven this season, as she also collected nine points at Converse on March 17. After Stille's five points, Nash was the remaining Raven with more than two points, as she finished with four on three first-half goals and an assist. Senior attacker Ashley Moirano (Vero Beach, Fla.) scored twice to round out Franklin Pierce's multiple-goal scorers.

On the defensive side of the ball, junior defender Kim Jaksina (Townsend, Mass.) led the way by collecting nine ground balls, while Norton picked up five and senior defender Jillian Benn (North Quincy, Mass.) corralled four. Benn also forced SCSU into four turnovers, while Jaksina and freshman midfielder Julie Hemphill (Clarkston, Mich.) caused three each. Hemphill led the Ravens with four draw controls.

The Ravens defense limited SCSU's ability to move the ball, as all seven of the Owls' goals came without an assist. Heiple and graduate student midfielder Marissa Ryan were the only multiple-goal scorers for SCSU, as each scored twice.

Sophomore goalkeeper Lynette Martinez led SCSU with four ground balls, while senior defender Lauren Horner caused three turnovers. Ryan led the Owls with six draw controls.

Junior goalkeeper Jillian Bolduc (Atkinson, N.H.) started and made four saves to pick up the win (6-4) in net for Franklin Pierce. Martinez stopped 15 shots and took the loss (0-3) between the pipes for SCSU.

Franklin Pierce posted a 46-18 advantage in shots and held a 33-8 edge in ground balls in the game. Franklin Pierce was successful on all 19 of its clear attempts and finished 5-for-9 on free-position shots. SCSU went 13-for-28 (46.4%) on clear attempts and 2-for-5 on free-position shots.

The Ravens return to the field on Tuesday, April 12, when they return home to host Southern New Hampshire in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Game time is set for 6 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).