WEST HAVEN, Conn. (March 17, 2018) – The Franklin Pierce University women's lacrosse team was nearly able to put together a signature victory over a top-10 program on the road on Saturday afternoon at Kathy Zolad Stadium. The Ravens led No. 7 nationally ranked New Haven 7-2 early, 10-6 at the half, and even 19-18 with five minutes to play, but could not quite seal the deal. Sophomore attack Caroline Maher tied the game with 4:57 remaining, and freshman midfielder Emily Holland followed with the game-winner just 48 seconds later. Holland added an insurance marker in the final minute, as New Haven escaped with the 21-19 victory in Northeast-10 Conference play.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 2-2 (0-2 NE10), while New Haven improves to 3-1 (2-0 NE10).

Franklin Pierce came out blisteringly hot, as the Ravens buried the first six goals of the game to open up a 6-0 lead just before the midpoint of the first half. Senior attack Anna Wilbert (Bohemia, N.Y.) notched the first two goals, both of which were assisted by senior midfielder Briana Sweeney (Shirley, N.Y.), who would put home two goals of her own on the run as well. Twin sister Caitlin Sweeney (Shirley, N.Y.) provided the surge's other two goals, including a free-position shot to cap the run with 15:37 remaining before halftime.

New Haven stemmed the tide with back-to-back goals from sophomore midfielder Kendra Nolan and Holland to get on the board. Holland would net a pair of first-half goals on her way to a five-goal afternoon.

Franklin Pierce kept coming for the Chargers though, and answered with three of the next four goals. Freshman midfielder Zoe Totland (Salt Lake City, Utah) got in on the act to make it 7-2, and then Caitlin Sweeney and Wilbert added a goal apiece to make it a 9-3 with 7:18 left in the opening stanza.

New Haven got a strong individual effort from sophomore attack Olivia Serpa to put a dent in the lead before halftime. She scored the next three goals, all unassisted: with 6:43 left in the half, with 3:04 to go, and on a free-position attempt with 2:08 remaining. The natural hat trick cut the gap to 9-6 in the closing minutes of the opening period.

Wilbert cashed in the final of her four goals on the day with 17 seconds left in the half to stake Franklin Pierce to a 10-6 lead heading into the break.

New Haven needed less than four minutes to erase the deficit coming out to start the second half, as it struck for the first four goals after intermission. Junior attack Samantha Galler scored twice in the run, while Holland popped an unassisted marker 3:50 into the half to knot things up at 10-10.

Neither team would lead by more than two for quite some time, and New Haven drew level again at 13-13, after a man-up goal from Nolan. The Ravens swapped goalkeepers briefly, after the score was tied at 13-13, with senior Madison Murray (Berkley, Mich.) taking over for sophomore Casey Butera (West Milford, N.J.).

New Haven continued to surge, even after the goalkeeper switch. The Chargers netted the next three goals, coming from the sticks of Nolan, Maher and sophomore midfielder Zoe Wilkins, to jump to a 16-13 lead with 14:56 to play and prompt the return of Butera to the Franklin Pierce net.

Refusing to go quietly, the Ravens responded to the second goalkeeper switch with four of the next five goals to forge a 17-17 tie. Caitlin Sweeney struck twice in the run and Briana Sweeney once, before freshman attack Caroline Lounsbury (Franklin, Mass.) took a feed from Wilbert and drew the Ravens level with 9:51 to play.

Junior midfielder Mackenzie Reh gave New Haven a lead with 6:28 remaining, but the Ravens responded in a hurry. Lounsbury struck again with 5:49 to play and, just 15 seconds later, Briana Sweeney capped her six-goal, two-assist game with a goal to give Franklin Pierce a 19-18 lead with 5:34 left.

Unfortunately for the Ravens, it would be their final goal of the afternoon. Maher struck to knot things at 19-19 with 4:57 to go. Holland followed up and gave the Chargers the lead for good with 4:09 left.

New Haven won the ensuing draw, but turned the ball over before attempting a shot. Franklin Pierce put two shots on target during its next possession, but New Haven sophomore goalkeeper Erica Rinsky came up with the save each time to preserve the one-goal lead. Rinsky corralled the loose ball herself the second time, which allowed New Haven to clear. Holland capitalized on the ensuing possession, as she took a feed from Nolan and put away an insurance goal with just 53 seconds to play. The Chargers won the next draw and were able to hold possession and run out the clock for the wild, 21-19 victory.

Butera (2-2) finished with nine saves against 27 shots on goal over her 54:30 in front of the Franklin Pierce net in the losing effort. Murray was beaten three times, without making a save, over 5:30 between the pipes.

At the other end of the field, sophomore Gianna Guerra started in goal for New Haven, but was lifted after allowing seven goals on 12 shots over the opening 18:02. Rinsky (2-1) went the rest of the way and made seven saves against 19 shots to pick up the win in relief.

Briana Sweeney (6-2-8) and Caitlin Sweeney (6-0-6) had six goals apiece to lead the Franklin Pierce attack, while Wilbert (4-1-5) chipped in five points of her own. Caitlin Sweeney led the team with five ground balls and also snagged five draw controls, while Briana Sweeney led the team in the latter category, with nine draws.

Holland (5-0-5), Nolan (4-2-6) and Maher (3-3-6) did the heavy lifting offensively for New Haven, while Serpa finished with four goals. Nolan and sophomore defender Raven Linton nabbed 11 draw controls apiece to lead all players. Senior defender Courtney Duffy caused a game-high three turnovers.

The Ravens return to the field on Tuesday, March 20, when they return home to host Le Moyne in an NE10 contest. Game time is set for noon at Sodexo Field in Rindge.

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).