CLERMONT, Fla. (Mar. 22, 2013) - Senior attack Molly Macdonald netted four second half goals to lead the Mount Holyoke College lacrosse team to a 16-8 victory over the University of Southern Maine at the National Training Center in Clermont, Florida on Friday. With the victory, the Lyons improve to 5-1 on the season, while the Huskies fall to 4-1 overall.
The two teams traded goals to get things going, but Mount Holyoke quickly took control, going on a 6-0 run to grab a 7-1 advantage through the first 17 minutes of play. Sophomore midfielder Kirsten Kilburn, who scored the game's first goal at 29:22, chipped in with two goals and an assist during the flurry.
Southern Maine rebounded to pull the game to within three (7-4) soon after MHC's run as Rosie Forster fired in two shots past the reach of Lyons' keeper Liz Malenfant, while also assisting on a third goal. Despite the momentum, the Huskies found themselves down to the Lyons by an 8-5 margin at halftime.
Kilburn, Macdonald and first year Julia Bell all capitalized during the first seven minutes of the second stanza, making it an 11-5 game with 23:05 remaining in the game. USM battled back as Jacki Kelly fired in an unassisted tally, but Macdonald connected off a feed from first year Catherine Ryan to give the Lyons a 12-6 lead.
The Huskies saw Sarah Pelligrinelli and Lauren Santo each add goals down the stretch, but it wasn't enough as Macdonald poured in three more tallies, while Bell and senior Christina Horimoto each scored to secure the victory for Mount Holyoke.
Macdonald finished with a game-best five goals, while Kilburn added four goals and an assist in the game. Bell chipped in with three tallies and Ryan had two goals and a game-high four assists. In goal, Malenfant made five saves.
For the Huskies, Rosie Forster had two goals and an assist to lead the way, while Pelligrinelli chipped in with two. Jacki Kelly also had a pair, while Jenna Cyr added a goal and an assist. In the cage, Kim Vogel shouldered the loss, making seven stops over 54:46 minutes of action. Caley Presby came on in relief for the final 5:14, she did not make any saves.
The Lyons return to action on Sunday when they open NEWMAC-play agains the defending champion Pride of Springfield College. Game time is set for 12pm at the MHC Turf Field. Southern Maine will face Potsdam State on Tuesday at 7pm.
