WEST HAVEN, Conn. – Junior Jessica Mazliah (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) and graduate student Kendall Cietek (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) each finished with a game-high six points to lead the University of New Haven women's lacrosse team (5-0, 3-0 NE10) to an 11-10 win over the visiting Merrimack Warriors on Saturday at Kayo Field.

Mazliah led all players on the day with five goals, her second game of the season with five or more, while adding one assist. Cietek followed just behind her with four goals, her third game with four or more, while closing out the day with her most points in a Charger uniform, adding a pair of assists.

Overall, just four Chargers provided offense on the day with Samantha Galler (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) and Caitlin O'Brien (Branford, Conn./Branford) each adding one tally to the board. As a team, New Haven led the Warriors 27-22 in total shots, placing 20 of the 27 on target, forcing the Merrimack goalie combo of Lauren Trepaney and Alexa Petzold to make a combined nine saves.

Freshman goalie Gianna Guerra (Thiells, N.Y./North Rockland) earned her third victory of the season, making six saves. All three of Guerra's victories have come in conference action. As a team, New Haven forced the Warriors into 20 turnovers, causing 14 of them. Merrimack capped off the day with a 15-8 advantage in draw controls.

SCORING

·         25:15 1st – UNH :: Caitlin O'Brien (Branford, Conn./Branford) (1) from Jessica Mazliah (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) (1)

·         19:14 1st – UNH :: Jessica Mazliah (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) (1) unassisted; Man-up

·         17:45 1st  – MER :: Hunter McCarthy unassisted

·         14:13 1st – MER :: Amber Feminella; Free Position

·         13:48 1st – MER :: Annette Ruggiero from Amber Feminella

·         10:34 1st – MER :: Bridget Schofield; Free Position

·         2:56 1st – UNH :: Kendall Cietek (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) (1): Free Position

·         28:55 2nd – UNH :: Kendall Cietek (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) (2) unassisted

·         25:17 2nd – UNH :: Jessica Mazliah (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) (2) from Kendall Cietek (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) (1)

·         22:37 2nd – UNH :: Jessica Mazliah (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) (3) unassisted

·         21:16 2nd – UNH :: Jessica Mazliah (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) (4) from Kendall Cietek (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) (2)

·         18:58 2nd – UNH :: Samantha Galler (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield); Man-down, Free Position

·         14:54 2nd – MER :: Bridget Schofield unassisted

·         12:45 2nd – MER :: Amber Feminella unassisted

·         12:15 2nd – UNH :: Kendall Cietek (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) (3) unassisted

·         11:35 2nd – UNH :: Jessica Mazliah (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) (5) unassisted

·         10:26 2nd – MER :: Amber Feminella unassisted

·         9:23 2nd – MER :: Bridget Schofield from Amber Feminella

·         8:38 2nd – UNH :: Kendall Cietek (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) (4) unassisted

·         5:48 2nd – MER :: Amber Feminella; Free Position

·         3:15 2nd – MER :: Kyra Schwartzman from Amber Feminella

HIGHLIGHTS

·         New Haven came out of the gates strong, scoring a pair of goals in the first six minutes to take the early advantage. Mazliah had a hand in both of those early goals with an assist on the opener as O'Brien tallied the first point of the day. Mazliah then added her first goal of the afternoon as she curled around from behind the net for a man-up score.

·         Over the first two minutes of the opening half, the Chargers defense was strong, forcing the Warriors into five turnovers in that stretch, including three which came on consecutive possessions. Raven Linton (Lawrenceville, N.J./Notre Dame) would provide two of the caused turnovers in that stretch with Cietek and Hannah Johnson (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand) adding one each. Overall, Merrimack turned that ball over 10 times in the opening half.  

·         Merrimack would respond with a rally of its own, scoring four unanswered, all resulting in a 4-3 halftime advantage. The final goal of the half came as New Haven snapped its scoring drought with just shy of three minutes remaining with Cietek scoring her first of the day on a free position attempt.

·         The Chargers offense sparked into action to start the second half, scoring the first five unanswered, all leading to an 8-4 lead. Cietek opened the second half scoring with an unassisted tally before Mazliah rattled off three straight goals, two of which came courtesy of assists from Cietek.

·         Galler capped off the run with a man-down score off a free position attempt which resulted in the Blue and Gold's largest lead of the afternoon.

·         The teams then traded the next four goals, two apiece with Cietek and Mazliah each adding to their totals with unassisted scores. Following those two New Haven scores, the Warriors slowly chipped away at the Chargers lead, pulling as close as one goal with just over three minutes remaining.

·         The lone New Haven goal in the final 10 minutes came with 8:38 remaining as Cietek added her fourth of the day, which eventually proved to be the game winner.

·         After Merrimack pulled within the one goal deficit, New Haven's Guerra came up big in the final two minutes recording a pair of saves on straight away shots from the Warriors. The Chargers defense then helped solidify the victory, forcing a pair of Merrimack penalties to put the visitors in a two-man disadvantage with under a minute to play.

NEXT ON TAP
New Haven will play its next two games on the road, the first of which comes under the lights at Stonehill on Wednesday, March 29. The Chargers and Skyhwaks are scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. opening draw at W.B. Mason Stadium in Easton, Mass.