CASTLETON, Vt. – Senior captain and midfielder Sarah LaQuerre notched a goal and added four assists to lead Mount Holyoke to a 9-2 victory over Castleton on Saturday afternoon. The #18 Lyons move to 2-2 overall, while the Spartans are now 1-2.
Additionally with the victory, Lyons head coach Andy Whitcomb reached a major career milestone. Entering the 2015 season, Whitcomb needed just two wins to reach her 200th career Mount Holyoke victory. Her season opening win at Nichols, coupled with today's victory give her an all-time mark of 200-136-1 at the helm of the Lyons. For her career, Whitcomb owns a record of 219-153-1.
The Spartans were outshot in the contest 53-11 while the visitors also held the advantage in penalty corners 20-8. Rachel Holland and Emily Hudson were the lone scorers for Castleton. LaQuerre led the charge for the Lyons, which saw seven different players score in the contest.
Mount Holyoke wasted little time to take the lead, as Julia Bell scored just three minutes in to give the away side a one-goal advantage. LaQuerre delivered a pass to Bell in the crease, and the senior midfielder buried a shot into the bottom right corner of the cage to give the Lyons a 1-0 lead.
At the 15-minute mark, the Spartans brought the game back to level terms. Off a penalty corner, Sarah Wells delivered a pass to Holland at the top of the arc, and the sophomore took one dribble in before ripping a shot past the keeper and into the cage to make it 1-1.
However, the Lyons responded just over three minutes later when LaQuerre found the back of the cage to reclaim the lead at 2-1. Sophie Perekslis and Kristina Ramsden then followed with goals of their own in the final 15 minutes of the first half to give the away side a three-goal advantage heading into halftime.
After the break, the Mount Holyoke attack didn't let up as they scored three goals within the opening 13 minutes of play to jump ahead by six.
At 51:35, the Lyons were at it again, as Charlotte Wagner grabbed her lone goal of the contest. With a scrum in front of the net, LaQuerre sent a pass towards the near post that was going out of play, but Julia Lankin's diving sweep knocked the ball just inside the post to give the away side a 8-1 lead.
Mount Holyoke tacked on another score in the 60th minute before Castleton found an answer when Hudson netted her team-best third goal of the season. The senior forward's initial attempt was stopped by the goalie, but she collected the rebound and slipped it home as the Spartans fell 9-2.
In the cage, Meeghan Doris delivered a solid performance with 27 saves and a .750 save percentage. Liz DiCesare received the start for the Lyons, playing 50 minutes with two saves to notch the win, while Ally Tessier played the final 20 minutes in the cage and produced three saves, including a fantastic glove-save.
The Spartans return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Plymouth St. to complete the game that was suspended this past Wednesday. The Panthers currently hold a 1-0 lead 25:43 remaining in play. Mount Holyoke is back on the field on Wednesday in a 6:30pm contest at Williams.
Release provided by Castleton University Sports Information.
