Ravens visit Assumption Saturday

RINDGE, N.H. (April 2, 2014) – Junior attack Megan Raposa (Tiverton, R.I.) scored a pair of first-half goals on Wednesday afternoon, as the Franklin Pierce University women's lacrosse team hung close on the road against Saint Anselm through the first half. However, Saint Anselm was able to pull away in the second half, to the tune of an 11-3 advantage, on the way to a 20-8 win over Franklin Pierce in Northeast-10 Conference play at Grappone Stadium. Junior midfielder Kelly Pickett (5-3-8) and sophomore attack Caitlin Villareal (5-1-6) scored five goals each in the win for Saint Anselm.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 3-5 (2-4 Northeast-10), while Saint Anselm improves to 8-0 (5-0 Northeast-10). Saint Anselm was able to pile up an advantage in possessions in the second half, at least in part, by winning 12 of the 15 draw controls in the period.

Saint Anselm scored the game's first four goals and five of its first six before the Franklin Pierce offense could find its stride. Villareal had a free-position goal and added an assist in the opening run to open her six-point day, while Pickett put home her first two goals. Raposa had Franklin Pierce's first goal of the day 9:35 into the proceedings, starting a quick, 3-1 run the other way. The Ravens pulled within two goals, at 5-3, on a goal from sophomore midfielder Lauren Beville (Jamesville, N.Y.) with 14:26 to play in the first half.

After the two teams traded pairs of goals to make it a 7-5 game, Pickett scored back-to-back goals 2:37 apart to push her first-half total to four and give the Hawks a 9-5 lead heading into the intermission. The final goals of the period would ultimately be a foreboding sign of what was to come in the second half.

Saint Anselm wasted no time breaking the game open in the second half, as the Hawks poured in four goals over the first 6:45 to push the lead to eight goals, at 13-5. Pickett had the first goal of the second half, giving her three straight in the game, while Villareal notched the first of her four second-half scores.

Junior midfielder Madeline Shopshire (Hyannis, Mass.) netted the second of her three goals on the day to momentarily stop the run with 22:08 to play, but Villareal answered with back-to-back goals at 21:23 and 20:05 to make it 15-6. After back-to-back goals from junior midfielder Amanda Gauvin (Ashburnham, Mass.) and Shopshire, Saint Anselm scored the game's final four goals to create the 20-8 final.

Junior goalkeeper Julia Coakley (Bridgewater, Mass.) started in net for Franklin Pierce and ultimately logged 50:05 over two stints in goal while taking the loss (3-5). She finished with five saves against 19 shots on goal. Freshman Denise Hunt (Hull, Mass.) played the remaining 9:55 and made one save against seven shots on goal.

At the other end of the field, sophomore Jane Bunn started and got the win (8-0) after making five saves against 11 shots over 38:37. Junior Allee Ramzi logged the remaining 21:23 and made three saves against eight shots.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, April 5, when they travel to Assumption for a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Game time is set for 1 p.m. at Multi-Sport Stadium in Worcester, Mass.

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). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce women's lacrosse apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).