SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (4/15/23) – The Franklin Pierce women's lacrosse team edged out American International College (AIC) in Northeast-10 Conference play on Saturday night, winning the high-scoring bout by a score of 20-17 at Ronald J. Abdow Field.

The win snaps a four-game losing streak for Pierce, who improves to 3-10 (2-7 NE10) overall on the season. American International, following the loss, drops to a 2-9 (0-8 NE10) overall record with their seventh consecutive setback.  

The contest became a frenzied offensive barrage between the two teams, as both squads combined for 37 goals and 81 shots through the full 60-minute effort. For Franklin Pierce, the 20 goals scored was the highest total this season, and the highest since April 16^th of 2022, a matchup also against AIC.

The game started out with 15-minutes of consistent, back-and-forth play. After the Yellowjackets opened the scoring less than 00:30 into the action, senior midfielder Katelyn Hadden (Newburyport, Mass.) had the response for Peirce with two consecutive strikes less than three minutes apart, giving the guests a 2-1 lead. Later on in the frame, fellow senior Gabrielle Oswald (Nedrow, N.Y.) would also net a pair to put the cap on the balanced start for Pierce, helping them to a 4-4 tie with AIC after one.  

The Ravens powered ahead to a 6-4 advantage thanks to goals from Kayli Hoefs (Amsterdam, N.Y.) and Hayley Hermsdorf (Center Moriches, N.Y.) to open the second quarter. However, AIC would thrust themselves right back into the lead with a 3-0 run, responding with goals from Kathryn Moody, Antonella Mikolyuk and Gabrielle Walz. Then, Pierce formulated a response of their own, and one-upped the Yellowjackets with a 4-0 run, which included another pair of strikes from Hoefs. The Raven senior would also add an assist to a goal by freshman attacker Maura Cogavin (Franklin, Mass.), while fellow freshman Olivia Robb () also notched a goal as part of the run. Entering the break, the Ravens would lead the Yellowjackets, 10-8.

The second half saw the teams continue to largely trade runs with Gabrielle Walz and Liz Day tying the game at 10-all for AIC with goals just 00:26 apart. Despite the early slip-up, the Ravens would recover for another explosive 4-0 run with Emily Ulmer (East Longmeadow, Mass.) and Amelia D'Urso (Katonah, N.Y.) adding goals on the evening. From there, the only direction was forward for the Ravens as Hayley Hermsdorf and Gabrielle Oswald put the cap on the third quarter with free position goals, boosting the Pierce lead to 16-11 entering the fourth.

The Ravens continued to further their lead with two more goals to begin the final period, but ran into some late defensive troubles as AIC staged a comeback with six of the next seven on the board. Gabrielle Walz, Isabelle Stone and Liz Day each scored twice in the comeback effort, but time ultimately would run out for the hosts as Emily Ulmer added the insurance goal for Pierce with 00:47 left to play. As a result, the Ravens would avoid the comeback and return to the win column, 20-17.

In goal, senior netminder Erin Blake (Southborough, Mass.) was tested regularly, but remained strong for Pierce with a nine save performance on 26 shots faced, claiming the win (3-9). Marissa Long (2-9) shouldered the loss for AIC, making 12 saves on 32 shots. The Ravens also finished the evening with a close edge in draw controls, beating out the Yellowjackets 21-20.

With only three games remaining this season, it's home from here on out for women's lacrosse, who will face-off against Saint Anselm College (9-3, 5-3 NE10) at Sodexo Field on Wednesday, April 18^th at 4:00 p.m.