Seahawks take command in second half of win over Leopards

BOSTON, Mass. – The Salve Regina University women's lacrosse team defeated the Wentworth Institute of Technology 19-12 in a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) contest Tuesday afternoon at Sweeney Field.

The Leopards fall to 5-6 overall and 1-3 against league opponents, while the Seahawks notch their second win at 2-7 overall and 2-2 in the CCC. 

After both teams traded a pair of goals to open the contest, Wentworth freshman Emily Rogers (Pembroke, Mass.) and junior Brooke Paradis (Pelham, N.H.) scored back-to-back goals for the hosts for the 4-2 lead with 19:33 left in the half. Salve responded with consecutive goals of their own via junior Lindsey Smith (North Attleboro, Mass.) and sophomore Maddie Villareal (Portsmouth, R.I.) to equalize the score 6-6 with just over six minutes left on the clock.

Wentworth sophomore Kaitlyn Darveau (South China, Maine) broke the tie in the 25th minute, taking the ball to frame herself and placing it top shelf to regain the lead, 7-6. The Leopards wouldn't hold on to the lead for long, as Salve senior Megan Geier (Glastonbury, Conn.) took the ball from the draw and fired a shot into the back of the net, before classmate Katie Kline (Brookfield, Conn.) scored a man-down goal for the 8-7 lead. With just over a minute left in the half, Wentworth sophomore Julie Dam (Milford, Mass.) flew into Salve's zone off the clearing pass from freshman keeper Lily Kuhns (Gloucester, Mass.), and took it to net to again tie the score, 8-8 heading into halftime. 

The Seahawks came flying out of the gates to open the second stanza, scoring six straight goals after Paradis drove one home in the first nine seconds. Paradis and Rogers got two back for the hosts, but freshman Kaity Doherty (Portsmouth, R.I.) and junior Olivia Slysz (Hadley, Mass.) broadened the gap, 17-11, with 10:30 left in regulation. The Salve duo added two more goals to end the conference tilt, after junior Leah Cummins (Plymouth, Mass.) scored off a feed from sophomore Marissa Nelson (Cranston, R.I.) for Wentworth's final goal.  

Paradis led the Leopards with five goals, three assists, and five draw controls. Rogers followed with a hat-trick of her own, while Dam, junior Jenna Tetreau (Dudley, Mass.), Darveau, and Cummins each scored a goal apiece. 

Four Seahawks finished with multiple points on the scoreboard, led by Doherty and Kline with five goals apiece. Villareal registered four goals in the win, while Slysz rounded out double-digit scoring with three goals.

Despite a 16-save effort, Kuhns suffered the loss in net and falls to 2-5 this season. Salve keeper Christina Myers (River Edge, N.J.) earned the win in the cage, and moves to 2-5 with nine saves.