March 20, 2008

Final Stats

Staten Island, NY - The Wagner College women's lacrosse team recorded its first win of the season in dominating fashion, rolling to a 22-0 victory over Saint Francis (PA) in the Northeast Conference opener for both teams.

In notching the first victory under first-year head coach Karen Rife, the Seahawks improved to 1-5 on the season while the Red Flash fell to 0-7.

Three Wagner players registered hat tricks in leading the Seahawk assault. Scoring three goals each were junior midfielders Cara Gonzalez (Syracuse, NY/ Westhill) and Kelly Blundin (Plymouth Meeting, PA/ Plymouth Meeting) along with sophomore midfielder Krista Malayter (Cheshire, CT/ Cheshire). Blundin added four assists on this cold, blustery afternoon, to give her seven points for the game, while Gonzalez added one assist to finish with five points.

Scoring two goals apiece for Wagner were junior attacker Jessica Richmond (Jenkintown, PA/ Jenkintown), freshmen midfielders Carly Lyster (Oakhurst, NJ/ Ocean Township) and Karlee Keller, (Colorado Springs, CO/ Cheyene Mountain) as well as freshman attacker Karen Vitkus (Skaneateles, NY/ Skaneateles).

Adding one goal each for the Seahawks were freshman attacker Dana Marchitelli (Annapolis, MD/ South River), sophomore attacker Gabrielle Hilk (Wilmington, DE/ Alexis I. DuPont), junior midfielder Lindsay Hashmall (Wantagh, NY/ Wantagh), freshman defender Mallory Close (Urbana, MD/ Urbana) and sophomore midfielder Terri Noll (Jordan, NY/ Jordan-Elbridge Central).

Wagner raced out to a 6-0 lead five minutes into the game, built the lead to 18-0 at halftime, and never looked back. The Seahawks held an overwhelming 40-1 edge in shots and led in ground balls, 28-10. Wagner's aggressive defense led to 25 Saint Francis (PA) turnovers as the Red Flash were successful on just 4-23 clear attempts while the Seahawks were a perfect 5-5 on clears.

Sophomore Alex Johnston (Manlius, NY/ Fayetteville-Manlius) and junior Amy Jones (Jarretsville, MD/ North Harford) split time in goal with Johnston playing the first half and Jones playing the second half. Johnson saved the lone shot that Saint Francis (PA) was able to attempt on goal.

Wagner is next in action on Saturday at Noon when the Seahawks host NEC rival Robert Morris. This game will be followed by a men's contest between Wagner and Mount St. Mary's, a matchup which is scheduled to begin at 3:00 pm.