WEST HAVEN, Conn. – Graduate student Kendall Cietek (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland)'s debut at Kayo Field finished with a game-high five goals as she led the New Haven women's lacrosse team (2-0, 1-0 Northeast-10) to a 16-11 win over crosstown rival Southern Connecticut State University in each team's NE10 opener. Cietek's five goals came on nine shots while she also added five draw controls to her credit.
Joining the Guilderland, N.Y. native in leading the offense was senior Caitlin O'Brien (Branford, Conn./Branford) who completed her second-straight multi-goal game with four scores and a pair of assists for a team-high six points. Senior Nicole Belanger (Kinnelon, N.J./Kinnelon), sophomore Mackenzie Reh (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue Medford) and freshman Hailey Rattigan (Hicksville, N.Y./Holy Trinity) each finished with a pair of goals on the day while junior Jessica Mazliah (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) rounded out the scorers with one tally. The goals for Rattigan were the first of her career.
Mazliah closed out the afternoon with a team-high three assists for four points total while Belanger also added a helper. Overall, the Chargers 16 goals came on 32 shots.
Freshman goalie Gianna Guerra (Thiells, N.Y./North Rockland) had an impressive outing in her debut between the pipes as she faced 20 total shots by the Owls and collected six saves. New Haven also led the battle in the circle, collecting 19 of the 28 draw controls while also forcing eight of the Owls 10 turnovers on the afternoon.
SCORING
· 28:19 1st – SCSU :: Samantha Cozzolino unassisted
· 27:27 1st – UNH :: Kendall Cietek (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) unassisted
· 21:01 1st – UNH :: Kendall Cietek (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) (2) unassisted
· 20:18 1st – SCSU :: Taylor Portelinha from Carolynn Keal
· 17:05 1st – UNH :: Jessica Mazliah (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) – Free Position
· 15:23 1st – UNH :: Caitlin O'Brien (Branford, Conn./Branford) from Nicole Belanger (Kinnelon, N.J./Kinnelon)
· 14:38 1st – UNH :: Caitlin O'Brien (Branford, Conn./Branford) (2) unassisted
· 12:50 1st – SCSU :: Kennedy Sherman unassisted
· 8:11 1st – UNH :: Nicole Belanger (Kinnelon, N.J./Kinnelon) from Caitlin O'Brien (Branford, Conn./Branford)
· 7:25 1st – UNH :: Hailey Rattigan (Hicksville, N.Y./Holy Trinity) from Jessica Mazliah (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North)
· 5:02 1st – UNH :: Nicole Belanger (Kinnelon, N.J./Kinnelon) (2) – Free Position
· 4:02 1st – UNH :: Kendall Cietek (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) (3) unassisted
· 3:16 1st – UNH :: Kendall Cietek (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) (4) from Jessica Mazliah (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North)
· 1:58 1st – SCSU :: Nicole Healey – Free Position
· 0:20 1st – UNH :: Mackenzie Reh (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue Medford) unassisted
· 26:12 2nd – UNH :: Hailey Rattigan (Hicksville, N.Y./Holy Trinity) (2) from Jessica Mazliah (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North)
· 24:27 2nd – SCSU :: Carolynn Keal from Samantha Cozzolino
· 23:41 2nd – UNH :: Mackenzie Reh (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue Medford) (2) – Free Position
· 22:58 2nd – SCSU :: Nicole Healey (2) – Free Position
· 21:27 2nd – SCSU :: Samantha Cozzolino (2) unassisted
· 12:43 2nd – SCSU :: Kennedy Sherman – Free Position
· 11:49 2nd – SCSU :: Tessa McNaboe
· 6:47 2nd – SCSU :: Kennedy Sherman (2) unassisted
· 6:07 2nd – UNH :: Caitlin O'Brien (Branford, Conn./Branford) (3) unassisted
· 3:59 2nd – UNH :: Kendall Cietek (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) (5) from Caitlin O'Brien (Branford, Conn./Branford)
· 4:16 2nd – UNH :: Caitlin O'Brien (Branford, Conn./Branford) (4) unassisted
· 1:13 2nd – SCSU :: Nicole Healey (3) – Free Position
HIGHLIGHTS
· Cietek opened up the New Haven scoring with her first of the afternoon and first of a pair that came back-to-back for the Chargers. Her first on the home turf came as she took a pass from Reh at the top of the arc and made a great move to her right to elude the defender where she sent an open look off the turf and into the back of the net.
· Just over six minutes later she provided the first New Haven lead of the afternoon when she used the same move to her right and snuck a shot just inside the opposite upright.
· After allowing an equalizer from the Owls, the Blue and Gold took the lead for good rattling off three straight and eight of the next nine to take a 10-3 lead just under the halfway point of the period. Among the first three in that stretch were back-to-back scores from O'Brien bending the first one in from the left side and scoring under a minute later blasting one in from the top of the eight-meter arc.
· Among the five unanswered rally for the Chargers was the first of the season for Rattigan as she connected with Mazliah on the pass over the top to score on the wide open right side. Cietek closed out the five-goal rally with back-to-back scores that came just 46 seconds apart as she would close out the half with an impressive four goals.
· Rattigan would score her second of the day coming out of the intermission when she again connected with Mazliah on the pass over the top of the cage. This time Rattigan would move to her left and sneak the shot in from nearly the goal line.
· After New Haven took its largest lead of the day, an eight goal advantage with 23:41 remaining, the Owls began a rally of their own cutting that deficit by more than half, scoring five straight and holding the Chargers off the scoreboard for nearly 17 minutes.
· The Blue and Gold didn't get rattled and responded by scoring the next three and putting the game out of reach, 16-10 with 1:45 remaining. O'Brien would score her hat trick to break the Owls momentum and added one more in that short rally with Cietek's team-leading fifth sandwiched between.
NEXT ON TAP
The Chargers continue a two-game homestand on Sunday afternoon when they welcome the Tiffin Dragons to Kayo Field on Sunday afternoon. The matinee match-up is slated for a 1:00 p.m. opening draw in the second game of a two-game east coast swing for the Dragons who meet Southern Connecticut on Friday.
