MELBOURNE, Fla. - The nationally-ranked No. 4 University of New Haven women's lacrosse team defeated host Florida Institute of Technology 18-4 Monday evening in its last of a two-game stretch in the Sunshire State. The Chargers were anchored by a seven-point performance from
Caitlin O'Brien (Branford, Conn./Branford) who handed out four assists and scored three goals. In total, 10 different players scored points in the win.
With the win, New Haven improved to 4-0 on the season, while the Panthers dropped to 4-3.
Corinne Fisher (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) added five points with four goals and an assist, while
Kathryn Campbell (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield) recorded two scores and one helper. Campbell led the team with six ground balls, four draw controls and a caused turnovers.
Nicole Belanger (Kinnelon, N.J./Kinnelon),
Courtney Ackland (Perth, Western Australia/Churchlands) and
Lindsay Lare (Cape May, N.J./Lower Cape May Regional) each tallied a pair of goals, while
Ashley Travis (LaFayette, N.Y./LaFayette ),
Maya Szymanski (Framingham, Mass./Framingham),
Alicia Busco (Agawam, Mass./Agawam) and
Jessica Mazliah (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) each finished with one point.
In goal,
Alyssa Gianotti (Monkton, Md./Hereford) and
Marissa McDermott (Longmeadow, Mass./Wilbraham & Monson Academy) split time with Gianotti earning the win. Both recorded one save on the evening.
New Haven held a 29-7 advantage in shots and a 29-19 advantage in ground balls. The Chargers led 16-7 in draw controls, while going a perfect 12-for-12 in clear attempts.
New Haven scored the game's first two goals and after a Panther goal at 23:26, the Chargers scored 12 unanswered goals to take a 14-1 lead into halftime. Fisher scored three, while O'Brien also grabbed a hat trick in the first stanza.
Scoring slowed in the second half with the Chargers going ahead 15-1 in the fist minute, but then FIT scored three of he next four to move the score to 16-4 at the 11:09 mark. Fisher and Busco rounded out scoring in the final five minutes as UNH cruised to a comfortable 14-point victory.
No. 4 New Haven returns to action on Thursday, March 19 when it hosts No. 5 Le Moyne in a pivitol Northeast-10 Conference matchup at Kayo Field.
