SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. -- The Mount Holyoke College lacrosse team exploded for its most goals in a game since the 2008 season in a 22-11 victory over Rhode Island College Wednesday evening at the MHC Turf & Track.
First-year midfielder Emi Bisson (Chester, Conn.) tallied a season-high seven goals and four assists, for the second-highest single-game point total in team history, exceeded only by Julia Bell's 13 points in a 2014 game against New England College. She also tied the unofficial team record for ground balls in a game, with 14, and added five draw controls and five caused turnovers, tying for the team high in both categories.
The Lyons last scored as many goals in a 23-11 win over Norwich on April 12, 2008.
There was a schizophrenic flow to the game, with the Lyons grabbing a big early lead in the first quarter, the Anchorwomen charging back into the game with five goals in the third quarter, and then the Lyons reasserting control in the fourth quarter.
Junior captain Hannah Bisson (South Hadley, Mass.) had four goals and an assist for the Lyons. First-year Amelia Knaysi (Grand Junction, Colo.) and sophomore captain Ella Phillips (Sandwich, Mass.) both tallied hat tricks with three goals apiece. Sophomore captain Madison Millyan (Winchester, Mass.) added two goals and an assist, and first-year Marielle Welch (Silver Spring, Md.) also scored twice.
Emi Bisson figured in Mount Holyoke's first four goals, including an assist on Millyan's game-opening score in the first minute. The Lyons amassed a 6-0 lead just 10 minutes into the game with goals by four different players in Millyan, Emi Bisson, Hannah Bisson, and Knaysi.
Claire Greene scored the first of her team-high six goals with 15 seconds left in the opening quarter to put the Anchorwomen on the scoreboard. RIC opened up the second quarter with back-to-back goals by Amara Gibau to close the gap to 6-3. Gibau added a third goal in the period and Greene scored as well, but the Lyons added two goals to their lead in the quarter for a 12-5 halftime lead.
Phillips gave Mount Holyoke a 13-5 cushion early in the third quarter, before RIC embarked on a lightning-quick 4-0 run over a span of 42 seconds of the third quarter to close within five goals (14-9), momentarily stunning Mount Holyoke and inducing a timeout from head coach Annie O'Byrne. Greene scored twice in the run, and Gibau and Sydnee Pires added scores as well, with all four of them directly following an Anchorwomen draw control.
Mount Holyoke then held RIC to two goals over the final 24 minutes of the game, both of them scored by Greene. The Lyons scored the game's last five goals, with Phillips and Knaysi scoring two apiece, for the final margin of victory.
Olivia Brennan made 11 saves for RIC, and sophomore Emma Tower (Dover, N.H.) made eight stops in goal for the hosts.
Mount Holyoke will play at Emerson College in a NEWMAC game on Saturday at 4pm.
