First-Half Barrage Sends Women’s Lacrosse on Way to 20-7, Senior Day Win Over AIC

First-Half Barrage Sends Women’s Lacrosse on Way to 20-7, Senior Day Win Over AIC

RINDGE, N.H. (April 14, 2018) – It was a baker's dozen in the first half for the Franklin Pierce University women's lacrosse team on Saturday afternoon. The Ravens poured in 13 first-half goals on Senior Day to jump to a 13-4 halftime lead, en route to a 20-7 win over visiting American International in Northeast-10 Conference play at Sodexo Field. Senior midfielder Caitlin Sweeney (Shirley, N.Y.) and senior attack Anna Wilbert (Bohemia, N.Y.) led the way for Franklin Pierce, as each had seven points on three goals and four assists.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 6-6 (4-6 NE10), while AIC falls to 3-11 (0-10 NE10).

After honoring the team's seven seniors before the game, the Ravens struck for the first four goals and never looked back on Saturday afternoon. Senior midfielder Briana Sweeney (Shirley, N.Y.) and freshman midfielder Maddie Hasson (Newington, Conn.) scored twice each to open the game, while Wilbert notched the first of her four assists.

AIC would cut the gap to 4-2 with 22:01 remaining in the first half, but then Franklin Pierce took control of the contest. The Ravens popped nine of the first half's final 11 goals to stretch the lead all the way out to nine goals at the intermission. Caitlin Sweeney, Wilbert and senior attack Julia Miller (Westfield, Mass.) all scored twice each in the run, while Sweeney added a trio of assists as well to make it a six-point first half.

Caitlin Sweeney would later strike for a second-half goal as well, which ran her team-leading goal total to 48. She needs just two goals in the team's final three games to reach the 50-goal mark for the second time in her career.

Things were more muted in the second half, but it was ultimately more of the same. Franklin Pierce outscored AIC 7-3 in the second stanza to push the final margin all the way out to 13 goals at 20-7. Coming off the bench, sophomore attack Bella Lima (Hudson, Mass.) sparked some excitement among her teammates in the final 10 minutes, as she scored three times to tally her first career hat trick.

Caitlin Sweeney (3-4-7) and Wilbert (3-4-7) led Franklin Pierce with seven points apiece, while Briana Sweeney (3-1-4) added four points of her own. Caitlin Sweeney collected a game-best 10 draw controls, while Briana Sweeney led all players with three ground balls. Wilbert caused a trio of turnovers for the Ravens.

Junior midfielder Mikayla Demanche was the only AIC player with multiple points on the afternoon, as she scored a pair of goals. The Yellow Jackets committed 12 turnovers on the day, to just six for Franklin Pierce, with the AIC defense generating only one caused turnover all afternoon.

Senior goalkeeper Madison Murray (Berkley, Mich.) finished with 13 saves against 20 shots on goal to pick up the win (4-4) in the crease for Franklin Pierce. Sophomore netminder Chelsea Davis (3-11) made 14 saves against 34 shots on goal in a losing effort for AIC.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, April 21, when they travel to Assumption for an NE10 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 lacrosse apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).