NEW HAVEN, Conn. (4/1/23) - The Franklin Pierce women's lacrosse team was back on the road this weekend for its first of three consecutive road games. Saturday afternoon featured a matchup with in-conference opponent Southern Connecticut State, and resulted in a 21-11 setback for the Ravens.  

With the loss, Franklin Pierce drops to 1-8 (0-5 NE10) overall while the Owls improve to 7-3 (3-3 NE10) with the win.

The Ravens took the lead in the first two minutes with a strike from sophomore attacker Emily Ulmer (Bedford, N.H.). This was soon followed by the Owls tying goal, which would kick off a 5-0 scoring run for the hosts, with attacker Bayleigh Takacs and midfielder Molly Kelly each scoring a pair to give the Owls a 5-1 advantage. Before the end of the first frame, another point would go up on the board for Pierce as senior Gabrielle Oswald (Newdrow, N.Y.) cut the deficit to 5-2 at the 2:46 mark, but the Owls would double down with another two goals to carry a 7-2 lead into the second quarter.

The Ravens reignited their offensive spark to begin the second as Emily Ulmer collected her second goal of the contest on a free-position shot. Following a response by the Owls 00:42 later, a goal from junior Olivia Delonais (North Andover, Mass.) sparked a 4-0 run for the Ravens, which additionally saw goals from freshman Maura Cogavin (Franklin, Mass.), Emily Ulmer and senior Katelyn Hadden (Newburyport, Mass.). Hadden would also add assists on each of the other goals throughout the run. However, as the Ravens saw early success in the frame, the Owls powered back with a 4-1 run to close the half, holding a 12-8 lead through 30-minutes of play.

The Owls would extend their lead to 14-8 on goals just 21-seconds apart, but would see the Ravens inch closer to a comeback towards the end of the third. With Pierce down a player, Katelyn Hadden added her second of the contest on a free position attempt to make it 14-9 Owls. Shortly after, junior Kayli Hoefs (Amsterdam, N.Y.) brought Pierce to double-digits with her 22^nd of the season, once again off a free position attempt. Sophomore Hayley Hermsdorf (Center Moriches, N.Y.) would add the final goal of the third with one second left on the clock to make it 14-11, but would also be the last Raven to score in the contest.

In the fourth, Southern Connecticut eliminated any hopes for a Pierce comeback with seven unanswered goals to round out the 21-11 score.

In goal, senior Erin Blake (Southborough, Mass.) took the loss for Pierce after stopping 14-of-35 shots faced, moving to 1-7 on the season. Southern Connecticut's Caelen Connors (5-3) claimed the win for the Owls, making six saves on 17 shots faced.

Women's Lacrosse will continue their road trip with a journey north for a meeting with Saint Michael's College on Tuesday, April 4^th at 7:00 p.m.