Weber collects four points; Bolduc makes 10 saves

RINDGE, N.H. (March 27, 2012) – Junior attacker Ashley Lamagdeleine (Westfield, Mass.), junior midfielder Courtney Weber (Centerport, N.Y.) and senior attacker Brianna Nash (Oceanside, N.Y.) all scored two goals each in the first half on Tuesday afternoon to build a 6-2 lead as the Franklin Pierce University women's lacrosse team went on to a 8-4 victory over Saint Michael's in Northeast-10 Conference play at Sodexo Field. Senior goalkeeper Jillian Bolduc (Atkinson, N.H.) made 10 saves against 14 shots on goal at the other end of the field.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 4-1 (2-0 Northeast-10), while Saint Michael's falls to 2-4 (0-3 Northeast-10).

In a game that featured a slow pace throughout, the two teams traded goals twice in the opening 11 minutes to sit tied at 2-2 with 19:07 to play in the first half. From there, the Ravens scored the final four goals of the half to take the 6-2 lead into the intermission. Nash struck for both of her goals during the run, while Weber added a goal and an assist and Lamagdeleine chipped in her team-leading 16th goal of the season.

Franklin Pierce pushed the lead to 7-2 less than five minutes into the second half on the sixth of the season for senior midfielder Mary Kate Stille (North Quincy, Mass.), a goal which, given the pace of the contest, all but put the game out of reach. The two teams would go nearly 20 minutes without another goal before Weber capped her day and the Ravens' scoring with her 14th of the year to give Franklin Pierce an 8-2 lead with 6:46 to play. Saint Michael's added two goals in the final five minutes, to no avail, as the Ravens wound up with the 8-4 win.

Weber led the Franklin Pierce offense with four points on a game-best three goals and an assist. Nash and Lamagdeleine's pair of goals each rounded out the multiple-point scorers for the Ravens on the afternoon. Defensively, Weber led all players in ground balls (6) and tied for the game high by causing three turnovers.

For Saint Michael's, five different players tallied one point each on the afternoon as the team was held without a multiple-point scorer. In addition, senior attacker Eliza Scoba, the Purple Knights' leading scorer on the year (14-2-16), was held off the scoresheet entirely. Defensively, senior goalkeeper Sandy Palumbo picked up five ground balls, while freshman midfielder Taylor Midgley matched Weber with three caused turnovers.

Bolduc turned aside 10 of the 14 on-target shots she faced on the day, including six in the faster-paced first half, to pick up the win (4-0) in front of the Franklin Pierce net. Palumbo made 10 saves against 18 shots on goal and suffered the loss (2-4) for Saint Michael's.

The teams finished the afternoon dead even in both shot attempts (21-21) and ground balls (27-27), while Saint Michael's held the edge in draw controls, 9-5. Franklin Pierce was successful on 16 of its 19 clear attempts (84.2%) and went 0-for-2 on free-position shots. Saint Michael's went 13-for-25 on clear attempts (52%) and 0-for-7 on free-position opportunities.

The Ravens returns to the field on Thursday, March 29, when they remain home to host Keene State in a non-conference contest. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Sodexo Field.

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).