RINDGE, N.H. – The No. 19 University of New Haven women's lacrosse team notched its first Northeast-10 Conference win of the season, taking down Franklin Pierce 19-3 on Friday afternoon. Mackenzie Reh (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue Medford) had another dominating game, netting a team-high seven goals and adding one assist.
In addition to Reh's seven goals, Kendra Nolan (Oak Ridge, N.J./Jefferson Township) had a hat trick as she found the back of the net four times on the afternoon. Marina Skelly (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Connequot), Emily Holland (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry), and Caroline Maher (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield) each added a pair of goals, while Samantha Galler (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) and Julia Jette (Franklin, Mass./Franklin) both scored once each. Jette had a season-high four assists, Grace Loeffler (Boca Raton, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons) added two assists, while Olivia Serpa (Succasunna, N.J./Roxbury) and Raven Linton (Lawrenceville, N.J./Notre Dame) each had one.
The defense shut down a Franklin Pierce offense that was averaging 18.67 goals per game, holding the Ravens to just three goals. Gianna Guerra (Stony Point, N.Y./North Rockland) allowed a season-low three goals and had 12 saves to finish the day with an .800 save percentage.
The Chargers dominated on draw controls, 17-6. Nolan led the way, collecting eight, while Reh had five and Linton had four.
The Chargers took an early 3-0 lead in the first five minutes of play. Holland opened the scoring for New Haven, which was followed by goals from Reh and Skelly, all three goals coming within a minute. The Chargers offense did not slow down as Reh netted two more goals in a row, followed by a goal from Maher and Jette's first score of the season.
Reh kept the Chargers' goal run going, extending the lead to 9-0 with two goals in under a minute. Samantha Galler (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) and Kendra Nolan (Oak Ridge, N.J./Jefferson Township) added to the lead with goals of their own, both assisted by Jette. Holland found the back of the net for the second time in the game with 11 minutes left in the first half.
The Chargers shut down the Ravens' offense, not allowing a goal until seven minutes left of the first half. After a goaltending change for the Ravens, Nolan found the back of the net, off a Loeffler, to extend the lead to 13-1 going into halftime.
The Blue and Gold then picked up where they left off, as Nolan scored 15 seconds into the second half. Maher and Nolan scored again to give New Haven a 16-1 advantage. Franklin Pierce would chip away with back-to-back goals, but Loeffler connected with Reh for her sixth goal of the game. Reh found the back of the net once more, this time from Serpa, and Skelly added her second goal of the game to cap the offensive surge at 19 goals.
New Haven will return to action on Tuesday, March 12 for the home opener, hosting cross-town rival Southern Connecticut State at Kathy Zolad Stadium. Opening draw is scheduled for 4:00 pm.
