Dale adds pair

SPARKILL, N.Y. (March 15, 2016) – In a game of lengthy scoring runs, the Franklin Pierce University women's lacrosse team led 7-4 at halftime, but then trailed 9-8 in the final five minutes on Tuesday afternoon at Spartan Field. Sophomore midfielder Caitlin Sweeney (Shirley, N.Y.) scored a game-high five goals, and made the game's final statement as well, as she scored the game-winner 4:18 into overtime to lift the Ravens to a 10-9 win over St. Thomas Aquinas.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 2-0, while St. Thomas Aquinas falls to 5-4.

Leading 7-4 at halftime, the Ravens surrendered the lead, plus a go-ahead goal, in just the first 10:04 of the second half. Senior midfielder Ruth Pluviose scored twice in the 4-0 run, while freshman attack Courtney Dumain dished out two assists and freshman midfielder Marist Parr put home a free-position shot. Pluviose's second goal knotted the game at 7-7 with 20:22 to play, and sophomore attack Caroline Finnen followed 26 seconds later to give the Spartans an 8-7 lead with 19:56 to go.

Franklin Pierce was able to quickly regroup, as senior attack Nicole Dale (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) put away her second goal of the afternoon just 68 seconds later to tie the game at 8-8 with 18:48 to play. From there, the game would slow down, as neither side could find the back of the net over the next 10 minutes.

Ultimately, it was St. Thomas Aquinas which broke the deadlock first, as Finnen put away a free-position shot with 7:16 to play to give the Spartans a 9-8 lead. STAC would hold the lead into the final five minutes, before senior midfielder Lauren Beville (Jamesville, N.Y.) set up sophomore midfielder Briana Sweeney (Shirley, N.Y.) for the game-tying goal with 2:20 to go in regulation.

With NCAA lacrosse moving to sudden-victory overtime for 2016, it was a next-goal-wins situation for the Ravens and Spartans, who each went into extra time for the first time this spring. With 1:42 left in the first, six-minute overtime, Caitlin Sweeney capped her five-goal outing with the game-winning goal, unassisted, as the Ravens came away with the 10-9 victory.

Earlier in the day, STAC scored the game's first two goals, including a free-position shot from Parr. Franklin Pierce answered with a 4-0 run over a span of just shy of 19 minutes, including a pair of goals from Caitlin Sweeney. Finnen and Parr struck back-to-back for the Spartans, with the latter tying the game at 4-4 with 4:13 left in the half, before Franklin Pierce rattled off three goals over the final 2:02 of the half. Caitlin Sweeney struck twice more, sandwiched around a goal from Dale, as the Ravens built up the 7-4 halftime lead.

Behind Caitlin Sweeney's five goals for Franklin Pierce, Briana Sweeney and Dale scored twice each, while Beville finished with a three-point day (1-2-3). Junior goalkeeper Denise Hunt (Hull, Mass.) picked up a team-high three ground balls, while Caitlin Sweeney snagged four draw controls.

For St. Thomas Aquinas, Finnen and Parr finished with three goals each, while Pluviose added a pair and Dumain chipped in three assists. Dumain and senior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Lonergan each collected a game-high four ground balls and Pluviose corralled seven draw controls.

Hunt (2-0) finished with nine saves against 18 shots on goal to pick up the win for Franklin Pierce. Lonergan (3-4) made nine saves as well, against 19 shots, while taking the loss at the other end of the field.

The Ravens return to the field on Thursday, March 17, when they travel to Georgian Court for a non-conference contest. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m. at GCU Track & Field Complex in Lakewood, N.J.

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).