WEST HAVEN, Conn. – A trio of hat tricks for the No. 9 New Haven women's lacrosse team (14-3) lifted the Chargers to a 13-5 quarterfinal victory over the visiting Assumption Greyhounds on Wednesday night at Kayo Field. With the victory, the Chargers advance to the semifinals where they will take on the second seeded Adelphi Panthers at Le Moyne's Ted Grant Field on Saturday afternoon.
Among the leading scorers on the day was senior Caitlin O'Brien (Branford, Conn./Branford) who was one of two players to finish with four points total as she added an assist to her three goal evening. Joining her with a hat trick was graduate student Kendall Cietek (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) and sophomore Mackenzie Reh (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue Medford), with the latter just her second game of the season with three or more. Cietek's three goals gives her 57 for the season, the most for a single player since 2014.
Rounding out New Haven's scoring on the night was senior Nicole Belanger (Kinnelon, N.J./Kinnelon) who scored a pair and one goal each from sophomore Samantha Galler (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) and freshman Hailey Rattigan (Hicksville, N.Y./Holy Trinity). Galler's one goal increases her current scoring streak to 15 straight games.
Freshman goalkeeper Erica Rinsky (North Caldwell, N.J./West Essex) earned her fifth victory of the season in the gage for New Haven. The rookie faced a total of 14 shots from the Greyhounds, securing four saves. Sophomore Alex Carbone closed out the final three minutes for the Chargers, making one stop. Overall, New Haven outshot Assumption 28-15 and forced the Greyhounds into 20 turnovers.
SCORING
· 16:48 1st – ASM :: Amanda Burns from Caitlin Graves
· 14:11 1st – UNH :: Kendall Cietek (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) (1) unassisted
· 13:18 1st – UNH :: Nicole Belanger (Kinnelon, N.J./Kinnelon) (1) from Jessica Mazliah (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) (1)
· 12:05 1st – UNH:: Mackenzie Reh (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue Medford) (1); Free Position
· 7:00 1st – UNH :: Hailey Rattigan (Hicksville, N.Y./Holy Trinity) (1) from Caitlin O'Brien (Branford, Conn./Branford) (1)
· 6:23 1st – UNH :: Samantha Galler (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) (1) from Jessica Mazliah (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) (2)
· 3:36 1st – ASM :: Jenny Bush; Free Position
· 3:22 1st – ASM :: Amanda Burns unassisted
· 1:23 1st – UNH :: Caitlin O'Brien (Branford, Conn./Branford) (1) from Nicole Belanger (Kinnelon, N.J./Kinnelon) (1)
· 23:29 2nd – UNH :: Mackenzie Reh (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue Medford) (2) unassisted
· 21:57 2nd – UNH :: Caitlin O'Brien (Branford, Conn./Branford) (2) from Jessica Mazliah (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) (3)
· 16:28 2nd – UNH :: Nicole Belanger (Kinnelon, N.J./Kinnelon) (2) from Jessica Mazliah (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) (4)
· 15:13 2nd – UNH :: Kendall Cietek (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) (2) unassisted
· 14:26 2nd – UNH :: Mackenzie Reh (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue Medford) (3); Free Position
· 9:43 2nd – UNH :: Caitlin O'Brien (Branford, Conn./Branford) (3) from Samantha Galler (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) (1)
· 8:28 2nd – ASM :: Callie Dwyer from Sarah Reilly
· 3:04 2nd – UNH :: Kendall Cietek (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) (3) unassisted
· 1:39 2nd – ASM :: Amanda Burns; Free Position
HIGHLIGHTS
· After a quiet opening to the game, Assumption struck first more than 13 minutes into the action. The Chargers responded to that opening goal with five-straight to take a 3-1 lead, one they wouldn't relinquish.
· Kendall Cietek (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) began her three-goal night with the first tally over 15 minutes into the action. She would battle into the center of the 12-yd fan, firing from straight on to beat the Assumption keeper.
· All six of the Chargers first half goals came from different players as Nicole Belanger (Kinnelon, N.J./Kinnelon) and Mackenzie Reh (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue Medford) added the next two for New Haven. Belanger's goal came off a feed from Mazliah as she redirected the pass that came in over the top. Reh's goal came as she converted a free position attempt.
· Hailey Rattigan (Hicksville, N.Y./Holy Trinity) continued the rally for the Chargers thanks to O'Brien who passed off a free position attempt. Rattigan accepted on the lower right of the arc and after waiting out the defense fired low off the turf for the score.
· The final goal in that first half rally for New Haven came courtesy of Samantha Galler (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) as she increased her scoring streak to 15-straight games thanks in part to a pass from Mazliah. Galler accepted a pass from Mazliah over the top of the net that came into the center of the arc where she scored around the Greyhounds keeper.
· O'Brien then joined in the first half scoring with the final goal of the half. Belanger provided the pass straight down the middle of the arc to O'Brien who dodged to her right and fired a low shot into the bottom of the cage.
· The Chargers would open up the second half on a six goal rally, seven-straight if you include the final of the opening half from O'Brien. That early run for New Haven kept the Greyhounds off the scoreboard for the first 21-plus minutes of the half.
· Included in that second half run were a pair of scores from Reh and O'Brien who provided the first two and last two in the rally. O'Brien went back-to-back with Belanger for the second and third goals of the half, both of those coming off a pass from Mazliah, her third and fourth of the night.
· Also scoring a goal in that stretch was Cietek, while she closed out New Haven's scoring with her second of the half with just over three minutes remaining. That third goal of the night for Cietek was her 57th of the season, the most for a New Haven player since Nicole McKee closed out the 2014 season with 59.
NEXT ON TAP
With the victory, New Haven advances to the semifinal round of the Northeast-10 Championship and will take on the second seed Adelphi Panthers on Saturday afternoon at Le Moyne's Ted Grant Field. Opening draw between the Chargers and Panthers is slated for 2:00 p.m.
