Viola, Baker, Curtin, and Poirier combine for 13 goals as Seahawks trouce Regis, 23-1

NEWPORT, R.I. - Junior Nichole Viola (Scarborough, Maine) scored seven goals while three others potted three goals each to lead the Salve Regina University women's lacrosse team to a 23-1 win over Regis (Mass.) College in The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) action Monday afternoon at a wet and rainy Lawrence Avenue field.

Seniors Sarah Baker (Summit, N.J.) and Erika Curtin (Huntington, N.Y.), along with sophomore Nicole Poirier (Tiverton, R.I.) (right), all recorded hat tricks for the Seahawks (6-10, 3-7 TCCC), who kept their playoff hopes alive and can clinch the eighth and final spot in the conference tournament with a win at Nichols on Wednesday night. The playoff berth would be the first for the program since 2007. The win also gives the Seahawks - who play half of their regular season games at Gaudet Field in Middletown - a perfect 5-0 mark in games played on campus this season.

The Pride - who are in their first year of intercollegiate competition - received their only goal from sophomore Teresa Crevier (Milford, Mass.), her 30th of the season. Freshman Jillian DeFrancesco (Peabody, Mass.) recorded 15 saves in defeat.

"This win puts us one step closer to the playoffs," said Seahawks head coach Jen Eldridge. "We were able to get everyone involved in our attack and finish undefeated on the Lawrence Avenue field."

Salve Regina won 22 of 26 draw controls, led by four each from senior Whitney Loeb (Hollis, N.H.), sophomore Rebecca Simmons (Averill Park, N.Y.), and freshman Kelly Burke (Georgetown, Mass.). Simmons also collected a game-high three ground balls, a statistic in which Regis held a 12-10 edge on the afternoon. Baker and Simmons also had two assists each while sophomore Lia Lanzo (Holmdel, N.J.) scored two goals.

Sophomore Natalie Balletta (Leominster, Mass.) made one save for SRU and moved into a tie for second-place on the Salve Regina single-season wins list with six. Baker, meanwhile, now has 79 points (46-33-79) points on the season, which is a new single-season record. She also established a new single-season record for man-up goals (five), as two of her markers this afternoon came with the extra attacker.

For Regis, Crevier won a team-high four draw controls while freshman Melissa Choz (Leicester, Mass.) gathered a team-high three ground balls.

The Seahawks close the regular season at Nichols on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. The Pride finish their season 1-13 (0-11 TCCC).