Late Comeback Pushes Lacrosse Past Keene State, 17-15

Game Statistics

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (March 17, 2010) – Senior midfielder Peggy Wefald racked up six goals to propel the Mount Holyoke College women’s lacrosse team to a dramatic 17-15 triumph over non-conference foe Keene State College today at Lake Lytal Park. It was the second of three spring break games for the Lyons, who are taking part in the annual SpringFling this week.

Mount Holyoke outscored the Owls 5-1 down the stretch to secure its third consecutive victory. The contest was knotted up at 15-15 in the waning minutes before sophomore midfielder Hilary Bombard found the back of the net for what proved to be the winner at the 1:59 mark. It was her third tally of the afternoon and her second career winner. She also chipped in with an assist in the game.

Senior midfielder Perry Markell continued her hot play, collecting a program record 16 draw controls to go with three goals and a helper. Classmate Kristen Cody added one goal and one assist for the Lyons, who are now perfect in three meetings between the programs. They came out on top 13-12 in each of the previous two seasons.

As a team, Mount Holyoke piled up a school record 27 draw controls. The Lyons finished with advantages in both shots (38-32) and ground balls (28-24). Sophomore goalkeeper Jeanmarie Petersen made 10 saves en route to her third win of the year. Sophomore Alyssa Marinaccio  made 15 saves for the Owls.

Keene State was paced by junior Jamie Albert and Lauren Sawyer, who registered six points apiece. Albert posted four goals and two assists, while Sawyer notched a pair of tallies to go with four assists.

After falling behind 3-0 in the early going, the Owls recorded four straight goals to gain a 4-3 advantage 10 minutes into the contest. They enjoyed a 7-5 advantage following an Albert tally at the 4:12 mark, but Mount Holyoke responded with five straight scores over the next five minutes to build a 10-7 edge. The Lyons took a 12-9 cushion into the break. Wefald netted five of her six goals before the intermission.

Keene State exploded out of the gate in the second stanza, posting five unanswered goals over the first 10 minutes to gain a 14-12 lead. From there, it was all Mount Holyoke. The Lyons closed out the game with a 5-1 spurt, highlighted by Bombard’s winner with less than two minutes remaining in regulation. Markell knotted things up at 15-15 at the 13:47 mark and tacked on an insurance goal with 10 seconds to go.

Mount Holyoke (3-1, 0-0 NEWMAC) will put the finishing touches on its spring break trip against Ithaca College tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.