MANCHESTER, N.H. – The No. 10 University of New Haven women's lacrosse team (12-3, 10-2 NE10) scored 11 second half goals, 10 of which came from three different players, leading the Chargers to a 13-10 win over the Southern New Hampshire Penmen on Wednesday afternoon.

Leading the Chargers overall was junior Jessica Mazliah (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) who collected four goals, her fourth game of the season with four or more and extending her career-high for season goals to 31. Joining her in gathering four points combined on the day was senior Caitlin O'Brien (Branford, Conn./Branford) and graduate student Kendall Cietek (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) who each finished with three goals and two assists. O'Brien also collected a team-high seven draw controls.

Rounding out the Blue and Gold's scoring on the day was senior Nicole Belanger (Kinnelon, N.J./Kinnelon) who finished with two goals and sophomore Samantha Galler (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) who scored New Haven's opening goal, her 18th of the season. The two points for Belanger gives her 130 total for her career, while she also added six draw controls on the day.

As a team, New Haven outshot the Penmen 35-20, placing 25 of those shots on goal, which forced SNHU's goalkeeper, Nicole Kennedy, to make a dozen saves. Freshman Erica Rinsky (North Caldwell, N.J./West Essex) earned her fifth victory between the pipes for the Chargers, finishing the day with five stops. New Haven also combined to win 17 of the 25 draw controls with O'Brien's seven and Belanger's six leading the way. The two assists, one each for O'Brien and Cietek, were the only in the game for the Blue and Gold.

SCORING

·         22:32 1st – SNHU :: Alexa Bedell; Free Position

·         20:06 1st – SNHU :: Merry Harrington from Stephanie Barr

·         19:13 1st – UNH :: Samantha Galler (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) (1) from Caitlin O'Brien (Branford, Conn./Branford) (1)

·         18:55 1st – UNH:: Nicole Belanger (Kinnelon, N.J./Kinnelon) (1) unassisted

·         16:52 1st – SNHU :: Casey Duggan from Alexa Bedell

·         8:26 1st – SNHU :: Alex Bedell unassisted

·         0:51 1st – SNHU :: Kristin Wilder; Free Position

·         28:52 2nd – UNH :: Nicole Belanger (Kinnelon, N.J./Kinnelon) (2); Free Position

·         28:07 2nd – UNH :: Jessica Mazliah (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) (1) unassisted

·         27:56 2nd – UNH :: Caitlin O'Brien (Branford, Conn./Branford) (1) unassisted

·         27:43 2nd – UNH :: Jessica Mazliah (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) (2); Free Position

·         26:48 2nd – UNH :: Jessica Mazliah (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) (3) unassisted; Man-up

·         25:53 2nd – SNHU :: Merry Harrington unassisted

·         22:55 2nd – SNHU :: Casey Duggan; Free Position

·         18:55 2nd – SNHU :: Kristin Wilder from Alex Bedell

·         17:38 2nd – UNH :: Jessica Mazliah (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) (4) unassisted

·         15:56 2nd – SNHU :: Kristin Wilder from Stephanie Barr

·         15:47 2nd – UNH :: Caitlin O'Brien (Branford, Conn./Branford) (2) unassisted

·         15:14 2nd – UNH :: Caitlin O'Brien (Branford, Conn./Branford) (2) from Kendall Cietek (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) (1)

·         11:51 2nd – UNH :: Kendall Cietek (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) (1) unassisted

·         10:03 2nd – UNH :: Kendall Cietek (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) (2); Free Position

·         3:30 2nd – UNH :: Kendall Cietek (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) (3); Free Position

·         1:54 2nd – SNHU:: Casey Duggan unassisted

HIGHLIGHTS

·         After a quiet opening to the game, Southern New Hampshire put the first two goals on the board before Samantha Galler (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) broke through for the Chargers just over 10 minutes into the action. Galler's lone goal in the game came thanks to a pass from Caitlin O'Brien (Branford, Conn./Branford), the first of four goals she would have a hand in.

·         The only other New Haven tally in the opening half came 18 seconds later when Nicole Belanger (Kinnelon, N.J./Kinnelon) took the draw control won by O'Brien straight down to score unassisted.

·         Southern New Hampshire responded to that game-tying goal by scoring the final three goals in a low scoring first half, taking a 5-2 edge into the intermission.  

·         The Chargers came out of the halftime break scoring a flurry of goals, five total in the first 3:12 of the half. All five of the Blue and Gold goals came in a stretch of just over two minutes.

·         Belanger scored the first of those second half goals, 68 seconds into the action, converting the first of four free position goals in the period.

·         Three of the next four goals came from junior Jessica Mazliah (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North), the first unassisted before converting a free position shot and scoring on a player-up opportunity. Sandwiched between Mazliah's three goals was Caitlin O'Brien (Branford, Conn./Branford)'s first score of the game. Mazliah's first goals, O'Brien's goal and Mazliah's second tally all came within a 21 second stretch.

·         The Penmen broke that early second half rally for New Haven with their first goal of the second half just over four minutes into the action. That goal also sparked a three-goal run for SNHU, regaining an 8-7 lead.

·         After trading the next two goals, with Mazliah's fourth of the afternoon the Chargers tally, New Haven strung together another five-goal rally with all five coming from just two players, O'Brien and Kendall Cietek (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland).

·         O'Brien scored the first two goals in that stretch, the initial one unassisted before Cietek provided her with an assist, the second and last of the day for New Haven.

·         After helping O'Brien with what was the go-ahead goal, Cietek began a streak of her own, scoring the next three Charger goals. The first two less than two minutes apart with the first an unassisted goal and the second coming on a free position attempt.

·         Cietek's final goal of the contest, also the last for New Haven, came following a nearly seven minute drought, converting her second free position attempt of the game. That goal was also her team-leading 49th of the season. With her next goal she will become the first 50-goal scorer since a pair of Chargers passed that mark during the 2015 season.