Seahawks fall to Scots in CCC opener

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. – In a game of runs, the visiting Gordon Fight Scots topped the Salve Regina women's lacrosse team in both squads Commonwealth Coast Conference openers, Saturday afternoon. The Fighting Scots defeated the Seahawks 14-12 at Gaudet Field.

With the loss, the Seahawks slip to 3-5 on the year and 0-1 in the CCC while Gordon improves 4-1 on the year and 1-0 in the conference.

Salve Regina streaked out to a 5-1 start over the first 11 minutes of action as senior Grace Kelly (Auburn, NY.) and junior Gina Tortorici (Deer Park, N.Y.) each scored a pair of goals while senior Karley Malenczak (Sayville, N.Y.) tallied her sixth of the year off a pass from Tortorici. Sophomore Jessica Castelline (Concord, Mass.) interrupted Salve Regina's scoring run with her seventh of the year following Malenczak's goal.

Gordon went on a scoring run of its own, scoring six straight to take a 7-5 lead with 6:09 to play in the first. Senior Anna Blomberg (Simsbury, Conn.) kicked off the run with a pair of goals 26 seconds apart before Castelline sandwiched a pair of goals around Blomberg's third of the afternoon. Senior Stephanie Fitzgerald (Groveland, Mass.) put the final touches on the streak with her first of the day with 6:09 to play after the Fighting Scots won the draw following Castelline's goal.

Sophomore Katherine Miele (North Reading, Mass.) halted the run with her second goal of the season off a beautiful pass from Kelly with 3:20 to play. Blomberg tallied her fourth of the game with 2:47 to play to send the two teams into half time with Gordon leading, 8-6 after the first 30 minutes.

36 seconds into the second half, sophomore Abigail Tepper (Foxboro, Mass.) notched her ninth of the season after picking up the ground ball off a save of Kelly's free position shot to cut the Fighting Scots lead to 8-7.

After a save from senior Josephine O'Relly (Middletown, R.I.), senior Kayla Sheehan (Pomfret, Conn.)  picked up the ground ball and gave it to Tortorici to clear into the Seahawks offensive zone. Tortorici sent home her eighth of the season unassisted to tie the game at 8-8 with 25:41 to play. Sophomore Erin Gerhard (Scituate, Mass.) and Malenczak rounded off Salve Regina's four-goal run to give the Seahawks this first lead of the second half at 10-8 with 22 minutes to play.

Fitzgerald answered the Seahawks run with three straight goals of her own to give the lead back to Gordon, 11-10, with 13:47 to play. Kelly and Blomberg tallied back to back goals before junior Abby Illian (Hillsdale, N.J.) and Castelline each scored to extend the Fighting Scots' lead to 14-11 before Kelly scored the final goal of the game with 5:41 to play to bring the score to its final, 14-12.

Kelly led the Seahawks with five points (4g, 1a) while Tortorici notched a hat trick and added an assist for Salve Regina. Blomberg led the Fighting Scots with five goals and two assists while Castelline and Fitzgerald each had four goals for Gordon.

O'Reilly made 10 saves in the net for Salve Regina while senior Danielle Maguire (Braintree, Mass.) needed 12 saves for the win for Gordon.

Gordon returns to action when the Fighting Scots return to action when the Fighting Scots travel to New England College on Monday, March 24 for a non-conference game at 4 p.m. while the Seahawks continue their CCC schedule with a trip to Curry on Wednesday. The opening draw is set for 7 p.m.