BOX SCORE BELMONT, N.C. - The University of New Haven women's lacrosse team, nationally ranked No. 8, defeated Belmont Abbey College 16-1 Tuesday afternoon in North Carolina. With the win, the Chargers improved to 3-0 on the season, while the Crusaders fell to 3-3 on the year.

The Chargers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after the first 10 minutes on Tuesday. The next ten minutes and the Chargers added five more goals, including two by senior Ashley Ferrandiz (West Sayville, N.Y./Sayville). The midfielder also handed out two assists in the 10-minute stretch. UNH added another by goals before halftime, while keeping Belmont Abbey off the scoreboard. Sarah Magnone (Yardley, Penn./Villa Joseph Marie) scored her fourth goal of the first half and handed out her first assists to give UNH a 10-0 lead with 5:28 left in the first period. Nicole McKee (Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur) and Natalie Lieberman (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport South Manor) added two more for the Chargers 12-0 lead at halftime.

In the first 15 minutes of the second half, New Haven scored four more goals. Alexis Gabbe (Malverne, N.Y./Malverne), Magnone, McKee and Ferrandiz pushed the Chargers lead to 16-0 with 15:22 left in the second half. The UNH defense held the shutout alive until the eight-minute mark of the second half when the Crusaders scored their only goal.

In total, the Chargers tallied 11-of-19 draw controls, including 5-of-6 in the second half. New Haven was successful on 17-of-20 clear attempts and 3-of-6 free position shots. The Chargers led 32-22 in ground balls and 35-11 in shots.

Magnone finished with a team-high five points and six points. Ferrandiz contributed six points off three goals and three assists. Gabbe added three goals and one assist on the afternoon.

A solid performance on defense and between the posts by Maureen Spellman (Trumbull, Conn./Saint Joseph) registered five saves and her third win of the season.

New Haven will return to action in its Northeast-10 Conference opener against Assumption College on Wednesday, March 21. The game will take place at Kayo Field with the opening draw at 4 p.m. For complete coverage, stay posted to www.NewHavenChargers.com.