RINDGE, N.H. (April 9, 2022) --- It was an offensive show on Saturday afternoon for the Franklin Pierce University women's lacrosse team, as the Ravens used a nine-point outing (7-2-9) from senior Savannah Ernst (American Fork, Utah) to lead the way in an 18-4 romp over No. 25 nationally ranked Saint Rose in Northeast-10 Conference play at Sodexo Field. Ernst, graduate student Jenna Cimbron (Bristol, R.I.) and junior Gabrielle Oswald (Nedrow, N.Y.) all recorded hat tricks in the victory for the Ravens, while sophomore Deanna Ciliento scored three times in defeat for Saint Rose.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 3-7 (3-5 NE10) and has won three in a row, while St. Rose falls to 7-4 (3-4 NE10). 

The first half saw the Ravens put up 13 goals, including the first nine of the contest, as part of a 9-1 first quarter which took all the drama out of things. Ernst started things off for the Ravens, as she tallied a hat trick in the first four minutes of the game. Fellow senior Kaitlyn Daly (LaGrangeville, N.Y.) mixed in an early goal as well, as Franklin Pierce opened up a 4-0 lead in just 3:54. The Ravens would add five more goals in the first quarter alone, thanks to one from Cimbron, a pair by senior Morgan Baxendale (Orchard Park, N.Y.) and another two for Ernst, who had five in the opening 15 minutes. Ciliento got Saint Rose on the board with just 5.5 seconds to play in the frame. 

In the second quarter, Cimbron started things off for the Ravens with her second goal of the game, off an assist from Baxendale on the right side to make it 10-1. Ernst picked up her sixth goal with 11:37 left in the first half to make it 11-1, as the Ravens needed just 18:23 to open up a 10-goal lead. Graduate student Caroline Lounsbury (Franklin, Mass.) added another goal two minutes later, and then Ernst picked up her seventh of the day on a free-position shot attempt to give Franklin Pierce a 13-1 lead going into halftime. 

Things settled down in the second half, as Franklin Pierce mixed in some of its reserve players and still posted a 5-3 advantage. Oswald was able to shine off the bench, as she scored the game's final three goals to record her second collegiate hat trick. Ciliento scored once each in the third and fourth quarters to finish off her own hat trick.

For Ernst, the nine-point game (7-2-9) marked the second-highest output of her career, trailing only an 11-point outing (8-3-11) in just her third career game, against Southern New Hampshire on Feb. 27, 2019. Cimbron finished with three goals and two assists for five points, Oswald potted three goals, and Daly and Baxendale scored twice apiece. In all, the Ravens had five players with multi-goal games. Senior Madisyn Van Horn (Pulaski, N.Y.) snagged a game-best five ground balls, while senior Megyn Ayotte (Guilford, Vt.) corralled five draw controls.

For Saint Rose, Ciliento scored three times, but no other Golden Knight had more than one point. Ciliento also hauled in a game-high seven draw controls, while freshman Katy McPeak picked up three ground balls.

Senior goaltender Megan Bacik (Huntington Station, N.Y.) picked up the win (3-1), as she made 13 saves on 17 shots. Sophomore Dorothy Gaffney (7-4) struggled at the other end and finished with just two saves against 20 shots. 

The Ravens will look to continue their winning streak as they hit the road on Wednesday, April 13, to take on Assumption at 7 p.m., in Worcester, Mass.