Box Score BRISTOL, R.I. - The Roger Williams University Women's Lacrosse team comes up short versus the Owls of Keene State University. The Owls improve to 9-6 overall while the Hawks drop to 6-10 overall.
The first Half began with the Owls and hawks trading goals in the first half of the opening period. Lauren Brown (Agawam, Mass.) finished on a drive to the goal to put the Owls up 1-0 at 26:46. Jessica Searl (Glastonbury, Conn.) hit Kelsey Rahilly (East Longmeadow, Mass.) curling around the goal for the finish to bring the game back to even at 1-1 at 24:24. Keene State's Eliza Witherbee (Newburyport, Mass.) dished to a cutting Brown at 17:09 for the Owls second goal. Searl found Kristen Pingree (Georgetown, Mass.) cutting from the top of the crease for the Hawks second goal and to bring things back to even at 11:42.
At 9:14 the Owls scored three unanswered goals to create the largest leadoff the first period. Nicole Curry (Hampstead, N.H.) scored on an unassisted attempt after an RWU turnover in the defensive third. Kaitlin Nolan (Mahopac, N.Y.) finished on a free position attempt created on a fast break at 6:29. Christa Demovellan (Westwood, Mass.) found some room in the crease at 3:25 for her first score of the day.
The Hawks stopped the run at 2:45 when Rahilly fed Searl who was cutting from the top of the crease for the third Hawks goal and bring the game to 3-5. Nolan came wide around the goal for an unassisted goal to put the Owls back up 3-6 with 1:07 left in the half. Deven Machette (Norwalk, Conn.) found some room off the left wing and fired from just outside the crease in the closing seconds of the period for her first goal and to end the half 4-6.
The second half opened quickly with each team scoring in the first minute of the second half. The Owls controlled the first draw and created a fast break that allowed Curry to dish to Polly Grey (Saratoga, N.Y.) for the quick finish at 29:44. The Hawks answered just as quickly taking the next draw for their own fast break connecting Machette to Samantha Davenport (Bethel, Conn.) for the finish at 29:32.
The Owls took the momentum and controlled the game for the next twenty minutes scoring four unanswered goals. At 25:57 Grey scored on a drive coming around the goal to beat the goalie low and away and put the game 5-8. A Hawk turnover created a fast break for the Owls that resulted in a goal for Brown on a pass from Lindsey McManus (Dover, N.H.) at 10:53. Brown added her fourth goal at 8:19 and fifth to put Keene state up by six (11-6) at 4:55.
The Hawks continued to battle and at 3:18 Searl pushed a clear up the field to Pingree who hit Rahilly in front of the goal for a shot that found the bottom right corner of the goal to bring the game to 6-11.
Witherbee kept the Owl lead safe beating her defender at the top of the crease and to score at 1:35. Lauren Piotrowski (Wakefield, Mass.) countered for the Hawks on a free position attempt with 1:35 left in the game but Nolan would be the last to score adding one more for the Owls with 0:09 left to end the game at 7-13.
Justine Sullivan (Norwell, Mass.) saved 9 shots in the loss and Erin Taylor stopped 6 balls in the win.
Keene State returns to the road to take on Western Connecticut State on April 27th at 12:00 p.m.
The Hawks will compete in the Commonwealth Coast Conference Quarterfinal on April 27th at a time and site to be determined.
