Slysz shines for Seahawks in victory over Bison

DUDLEY, Mass. – The Salve Regina University women's lacrosse team defeated Nichols College 19-8 on Saturday afternoon in a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) matchup.
 
Salve Regina (1-7, 1-2 CCC) received eight points on five goals and three assists from junior Olivia Slysz, while sophomore Kiley Anderson had four goals and two assists for the Seahawks. Junior Lindsey Smith led the defense with six groundballs and four caused turnovers, with senior Katie Kline grabbing 10 draw controls to go with four goals.

Senior Lindsay O'Connell scored four goals and added an assist while four other players registered a goal for the Bison (2-6, 0-4 CCC) as senior Rachel Birmingham, junior Kirsten Sullivan, senior Allison Bench, and senior Mellissa LaFleur all found the back of the net. LaFleur also led the Bison with eight groundballs, six draw controls, and two caused turnovers, while Birmingham scooped up four groundballs, with Bench and sophomore Danielle Kozloski causing two turnovers apiece.
 
Sophomore Emily Eagan registered 11 saves while giving up 14 goals for the Bison, while sophomore Molly Steen had one save while allowing five goals. Salve Regina freshman Christina Myers picked up her first win of the save while making 18 stops for the Seahawks.
 
Salve Regina held a 43-34 edge in shots in the game, while Nichols corralled 32 groundballs to 29 for the visitors. Nichols committed 21 turnovers in the contest, compared to 15 for the Seahawks, and Salve Regina held a 18-10 advantage in draw controls. Nichols only went 12-for-24 on clears in the game, with the Seahawks going 14-for-18 on their attempts.
 
A goal from O'Connell with 14:19 remaining in the first half pulled the Bison to 4-3, and back-to-back scores from Sullivan and O'Connell made it a 6-5 deficit with 3:39 to play in the half. The Seahawks ended the period on a 3-0 run, including a pair of goals in the final 17 seconds, to take a 9-5 advantage into the break.
 
Birmingham opened the scoring in the second half with an unassisted tally to make it a 9-6 game, but the Seahawks rattled off three-straight goals to double up the Bison at 12-6 with 24:27 to play. O'Connell ended the run with a goal, but the Seahawks ended the game on a 7-1 run to claim the 19-8 victory.
  
Saturday marked the 18th meeting between the two teams and Salve Regina holds a 15-3 edge in the series.