NEWTON, Mass. – Behind eight different goal scorers, the Lasell College women's lacrosse team earned an 18-11 win over Curry College in its home opener on Thursday afternoon at Grellier Field.
The Lasers improve to 2-1 on the season with the victory, while the Colonels slip to 1-1.
Sophomore Vanessa Pino (Methuen, Mass.) led the Lasers' offense with six goals and an assist, scoring four times in the second half. Freshman Samantha Taylor (Hanover, Mass.) netted four goals on six shots, while junior Taylor Yandow (Moretown, Vt.) and freshman Amanda Brock (North Haven, Conn.) also posted multiple-goal games for the hosts.
Four different Colonels scored multiple goals in the contest, including seniors Malorie Knowlton (Norfolk, Mass.) with four. Classmate Kelly Parker (Branford, Conn.) contributed three goals and two assists, while freshman Abby Dubel (Wolfeboro, N.H.) scored twice.
Senior Bridget Delaney (Weymouth, Mass.) earned the win in goal for Lasell, making six of her nine saves in the second half. Curry's Rachel Smith (Arlington, Mass.) made four stops.
The teams traded pairs of goals to open the game before five different Lasers scored in succession to break the 2-2 tie. Curry responded to each of its first two deficits as Taylor and Yandow scored goals for the Lasers, but it was the hosts' first run that proved insurmountable.
Yandow and sophomore Jordan McComb (Cumberland, R.I.) scored within a two-minute span to give Lasell a 4-2 lead, while senior Maria Vasiliadis (Worcester, Mass.), Pino and Brock each followed to lift Lasell's lead to 7-2 with 11:05 left in the opening half.
After Knowlton brought the Colonels within four, Taylor netted a free position shot with 7:39 left in the half and Pino ballooned Lasell's lead to 9-3 with 4:20 left before halftime.
In the second half, the Lasers matched their initial nine-goal output while scoring on all four of their free position chances and controlling 12 of their 21 draws in the contest. In total, the teams each finished with 27 shots as Lasell controlled 21 of the game's 31 draws, recorded 24 ground balls and netted seven of its 11 free position shots.
Pino gave Lasell an 11-3 lead as she scored the first two goals of the second half, finishing her hat trick within 90 seconds. Senior Lauren Carroll (Providence, R.I.) capped the visitors' three-goal run to bring the score to 11-6 with 26:43 left.
Pino scored on another free position opportunity with 23:08 to play, following Taylor's goal from McComb. Parker and Knowlton scored back-to-back goals for Curry thereafter, with Knowlton's coming with an extra man.
Lasell scored five of the game's last eight goals, again spreading out the offense with five different scorers. In that stretch, sophomore Megan Palumbo (Southington, Conn.) scored her first goal of the season to give the Lasers a 15-8 lead with 8:59 to play. Brock finished the Lasers' scoring with 3:20 left, converting another free position try.
The Lasers return to action and non-conference play on Saturday, March 11, opposing Westfield State at 12:00 p.m. The Colonels continue a five-game stretch away from home with three straight games in Florida, beginning against Becker on Sunday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m.
(Game Recap Courtesy of Lasell College Sports Information)