Shopshire, Dale Lead Way as Women's Lacrosse Wins at SCSU, 16-14

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (April 11, 2015) -- The Franklin Pierce University women's lacrosse team used a strong first half to carry it to a victory in Northeast-10 Conference play against the Southern Connecticut University Owls by a score of 16-14 at Jess Dow Field on Saturday afternoon. Senior Madeline Shopshire (Hyannis, Mass.) and junior Nicole Dale (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) led the way for Franklin Pierce with four points each, as Shopshire put home four goals, while Dale had three goals and an assist on the day.

With the win, the Ravens improve to 6-5 (4-5 Northeast-10), while the Owls fall to 2-10 (1-8 Northeast-10) on the season. The sixth win of the season for Franklin Pierce ties the second-most wins in a season in program history. The program record is seven wins, as they went 7-9 in the 2009 campaign. The win also marks the seventh straight victory over Southern Connecticut State for Franklin Pierce.

Southern Connecticut State opened up the scoring just 2:37 into the game, with a Sarah Muise goal that was assisted by Carolynn Keal. Franklin Pierce would respond well, as freshman Briana Sweeney (Shirley, N.Y.) broke the ice with a tally. Following Sweeney's goal, Franklin Pierce would pick up consecutive goals from junior Lauren Beville (Jamesville, N.Y.), senior Geena Franciosi (South Easton, Mass.) and Shopshire. Shopshire's marker would be the last of the Raven's streak of four goals, as Jennifer McCarthy would score off a pass from Keal for SCSU.

Franklin Pierce continued to dominate the half and eventually went into halftime with a 10-6 lead. Shopshire was able to record three goals in the first half. The half was capped by a Dale goal with just 21 seconds remaining. Dale would also finish with an impressive first half as she had two goals and one assist for three points.

Southern Connecticut State started the second half scoring with a Nicole Healey goal, off a free-position shot at 26:46. However, Franklin Pierce freshman Anna Wilbert (Bohemia, N.Y.), after a quiet first half, would tally back-to-back goals on her first two shots of the game to move the Ravens lead to 12-7, which would be their biggest lead of the game.

After Wilbert went for two in a row, the Ravens and Owls traded two goals apiece, as Dale and senior Megan Raposa (Tiverton, R.I.) would score for Franklin Pierce. After Raposa's goal, SCSU would use two free-position shots and Healey's third goal of the game to go on a three-goal run, bringing the score to 14-12 with 5:50 left in the game.

Coming out of a timeout, Sweeney was able to score a man-down goal for Franklin Pierce, which would be the eventual game-winner for the Ravens. Southern Connecticut State brought the Franklin Pierce lead down to two goals three separate times in the second half, but the Ravens were able to withstand the late pressure to pick up the victory.

Sophomore Denise Hunt (Hull, Mass.) got the start in net for Franklin Pierce, went the distance and recorded 10 saves to pick up her fifth win of the season (5-4). The Owls started senior Nora Anderson between the pipes, and the loss moved her record to 2-8 on the season after a nine-save outing.

The Ravens return to action Tuesday, April 14, as they will travel to Syracuse, N.Y. to take on the Le Moyne College Dolphins at 1 p.m. at Ted Grant Field. The next home game for Franklin Pierce is Saturday, April 18, when it will play host to Pace University at 3 p.m.

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' brand new online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).