SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (April 12, 2017) – Trailing 5-3 on the road at halftime against a one-win team, the Franklin Pierce University women's lacrosse team responded with seven goals in the second half on Wednesday night to rally for a 10-8 win in Northeast-10 Conference play at American International. Junior midfielder Briana Sweeney (Shirley, N.Y.) tallied five points on four goals and an assist to lead the way for the Ravens at Abdow Field.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 6-4 (4-4 NE10), while American International falls to 1-10 (0-9 NE10).

Though Briana Sweeney led all players in scoring, it was twin sister Caitlin Sweeney (Shirley, N.Y.) who would score two of the most pivotal goals of the game for the Ravens down the stretch on Wednesday. With the game tied at 6-6, she put away a free-position shot with 18:26 to play, which gave Franklin Pierce a lead it would not relinquish the rest of the way.

Junior defender Megan Schaeffer (Brookhaven, N.Y.) followed with a goal to make it 8-6 with 13:03 to go, but AIC needed just 23 seconds to respond, as senior midfielder Stefanie Dufresne cut the gap to 8-7 with 12:40 remaining. After AIC junior attack Brittany Hutchison took her second yellow card of the game, Caitlin Sweeny made the infraction hurt, as her man-up goal with 11:47 to go restored a two-goal lead for the Ravens, and would eventually stand as the game-winning tally.

The Ravens went up by three as freshman attack Morgan Riley (Jamesville, N.Y.) found the net on a free-position with 7:33 to go, before the Yellow Jackets made it 10-8 with 6:16 to go, as Dufresne put away a free-position of her own. Franklin Pierce called a timeout after the goal and settled in from there, as the Ravens surrendered just one shot the rest of the way, with senior goalkeeper Denise Hunt (Hull, Mass.) making a save on a free-position with 5:38 to play, and 10-8 stood as the final score.

Earlier in the game, AIC struck first, but a natural hat trick from Briana Sweeney allowed the Ravens to surge out front, 3-1, 10:42 into the first half. The Yellow Jackets found the net four times over the final 18 minutes of the opening period, including a pair of goals by Dufresne, to take a 5-3 lead into halftime.

Sophomore attack Lauren Witherspoon made it a 6-3 AIC lead to open the second half, before Franklin Pierce took control. The Ravens scored the game's next five goals to surge out front to stay, capping the run with the aforementioned back-to-back strikes from Caitlin Sweeney and Schaeffer to claim the lead.

Behind Briana Sweeney (4-1-5), Caitlin Sweeney and Schaeffer were the only other Ravens to tally multiple points, as they each scored twice. Briana Sweeney picked up five ground balls and fired 12 shots (10 on goal), while freshman midfielder Sarah Waldrep (North Andover, Mass.) snagged four ground balls. The sisters Sweeney collected three draw controls each.

Dufresne led the way for AIC with a four-goal night, while Witherspoon put home a pair of goals, but the two were the only multiple-point scorers for the Yellow Jackets. Senior attack Jessica Lawler led the team with four ground balls, while Dufresne and senior attack Riley Brennan corralled three draw controls apiece.

Hunt (6-4) made seven saves against 15 shots on goal to pick up the win in the crease for Franklin Pierce. Senior netminder Alexis Torosian (1-10) stopped 14 of 24 shots, but suffered the loss at the other end for AIC.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, April 15, when they travel to Southern Connecticut State for an NE10 contest. Game time is set for noon at Jess Dow Field in New Haven, Conn.

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 lacrosse apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).