Burke, Livingston score late to send Seahawks past Corsairs, 13-12

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. - Sophomore Kelly Burke (Georgetown, Mass.) and junior Sarah Livingston (Westford, Mass.) scored 55 seconds apart late in the second half to lift the Salve Regina University women's lacrosse team to a 13-12 win over UMass Dartmouth in non-conference action Thursday night at Gaudet Fied.

Burke finished with three goals and three assists as the Seahawks (6-8) won for the third time in their last five outings. Livingston, meanwhile, finished with two goals and two assists while senior Nicole Viola (Scarborough, Maine) potted a game-high five goals.

Senior Stephanie Kinchla (Falmouth, Mass.) and junior Allison O'Rourke (Weymouth, Mass.) each scored four goals to lead the Corsairs (3-6), who have dropped two of the last three meetings to SRU. Freshman Taylor Corsano (Bourne, Maine.) added three goals and an assist while sophomore Brittney Enos (East Falmouth, Mass.) dished out a pair of assists.

O'Rourke scored a pair of goals 14 seconds apart in the first half to help the Corsairs take an early 3-0 lead. Viola answered with her 18th of the year for Salve Regina to make it 3-1, but UMD scored the next two to take a 5-1 lead. The Seahawks reeled off the next five goals to grab a 6-5 lead, led by a goal and two assists from Livingston. Each team scored twice before the end of the half to bring the score to 8-7 in favor of Salve Regina, which was outshot 15-13 in the opening 30 minutes.

The Corsairs raced out of the locker room in the second half, scoring three times in the opening 9:45 to regain the lead at 10-8. Kinchla scored the first two to pick up the hat trick while O'Rourke's 19th of the season gave her a hat trick as well. The Seahawks fought back, scoring five of the next six goals to take a 13-11 lead with 6:38 to go. Viola tallied twice and sophomore Megan Clancy (Chelmsford, Mass.) netted her 27th of the season before Burke and Viola put the Seahawks ahead for good. O'Rourke's 20th goal with 52 ticks left on the clock put pressure on the Seahawks to win the ensuing draw control, which they did, enabling the to run out the clock.

"I am really pleased with the perseverance our team showed tonight," said Salve Regina head coach Jen Eldridge, who team collected donations for the Spaulding Rehabilitation Center through the contest. "It's a credit to our girls that they didn't panic when they fell behind in the first half. Hopefully, we can build on this momentum as we return to conference play on Saturday."

The Corsairs outshot the Seahawks 24-20 on the evening, but Salve Regina junior goalkeeper Natalie Balletta (Leominster, Mass.) played one of her biggest games of the season, stopping eight shots - including five on free position attempts. Sophomore Angelina Donovan (Medford, Mass.) made seven saves for UMass Dartmouth.

Kinchla won a game-high five draw controls for the Corsairs while Clancy and sophomore Danielle Malconian (Belmont, Mass.) led Salve Regina with four each. Junior Casey Otovic (Wilmington, Mass.) collected a team-high four ground balls for UMD while Malconian, Balletta, and freshman Kayla Sheehan (Pomfret, Conn.) each gathered three for SRU.

The Seahawks return to action on Saturday when they host Nichols at noon at Gaudet Field. Prior to the game, Viola and fellow senior Carin Heaney (Spofford, N.H.) will be honored for their four years as members of the SRU lacrosse program. The Corsairs host Wheelock Saturday at noon.