Seahawks plow through RIC, 19-14
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Junior attacker Sarah Livingston (Westford, Mass.) scored six goals and notched seven points as the Salve Regina University women's lacrosse team bested Rhode Island College, 19-14, in a shortened game due to heavy snowfall played at the RIC Lacrosse Field.
Junior attacker Molly Voyer (Lincoln, R.I.) scored a career-high seven goals, which was also her career-high point total for a single game, to go along with five draw controls in a losing effort for the hosts (3-2).
The game was in jeopardy of being halted at halftime, but the lines on the field were sufficiently cleared to resume action. After SRU sophomore midfielder Megan Clancy (Chelmsford, Mass.) scored with 11:16 left in the second half, the officials ended the game early.
Although major media outlets forecasted only rain for the Providence area, the rain unexpectedly turned to snow during pregame warm-ups. The Anchorwomen were in a similar scenario in last Thursday's, 10-9, loss to Lasell, but the snow was fleeting and did not collect on the playing surface in that game. By contrast, this game's snowfall covered the field in a white sheet and made visibility progressively worse as the game continued.
The Anchorwomen were unfazed by the conditions in the early going, jumping out to a 4-1 lead in the game's first four minutes, led by two Voyer goals.
After RIC's initial run, the Seahawks (3-6) adapted to the conditions and settled in. Nine minutes into the game, Livingston began her assault on the back of the net, scoring back-to-back goals just 41 seconds apart to bring Salve Regina to within a goal at 4-3.
Voyer answered with her third goal, which was set up by sophomore midfielder Courtney McKiernan (Hope, R.I.) with 19:37 remaining, just 45 seconds after Livingston's burst. Junior attacker Nicky Drolet (Somersworth, N.H.) restored RIC's game-high, three-goal lead on an unassisted tally with 18:52 to go in the first.
Trailing 6-3, the Seahawks wrested control of the game with a six-goal run, beginning with another Livingston marker with 10:18 left in the half. The run featured a pair of goals from sophomore midfielder Kelly Burke (Georgetown, Mass.), both of which were unassisted. Burke finished the evening with four goals and an assist for five points.
The teams traded tallies until the final 68 seconds of the first stanza, when the Anchorwomen mounted what proved to be their final threat. Trailing 11-8, freshman attacker Ashley Signoriello (Cranston, RI) and Voyer scored 31 seconds apart to trim the halftime deficit to a slim 11-10.
The abbreviated second half belonged to the Seahawks, who dominated play and outscored the Anchorwomen, 6-3. Clancy scored first, tallying the first of her three goals just 22 seconds into the period. Burke followed up 50 seconds later with the last of her four goals, pushing the lead to 13-10.
Clancy scored what proved to be the game-winning goal on an unassisted tally with 23:37 showing on the clock. She also contributed a game-high six draw controls.
Junior goalkeeper Natalie Balletta (Leominster, Mass.) earned the win (3-6) in net with a six-save effort. RIC freshman netminder Taryn Carbone (Cranston, R.I.) took the loss (3-2), but turned away a game-high seven shots. The Seahawks outshot the Anchorwomen by a 32-21 margin, while the Anchorwomen held an 18-10 advantage in ground balls.
Courtesy of Rhode Island College sports information