HOBOKEN, N.J. (March 17, 2009) – Sophomore attack Leah Wasserman scored six goals and had three assists, and senior goalkeeper Grace Sack made 15 saves as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's lacrosse team held No. 15 Amherst College scoreless over the final 37:26 of regulation en route to a convincing 16-6 win. At one point, Stevens (5-0) was trailing 6-4 but netted three goals in a span of 2:41 to take a 7-6 lead going into halftime, and the Ducks never looked back. Junior attack Alyssa Pigott and sophomore midfielder Karen Federico also were also strong for Stevens, scoring four times apiece.
After senior Amy Craig (Denver, Colo.) beat Sack on a free-position shot, Amherst (2-2) matched its largest lead of the game at 6-4, and it looked as if the Lord Jeffs had all the momentum. That momentum was short lived as Stevens looked to really turn up the intensity. 2:35 after the Craig tally, Federico scored an unassisted goal and Wasserman followed with two quick tallies of her own. The first was assisted by sophomore Pamela Loria, the second came from freshman midfielder Jenna Scheibling.
After making some slight adjustments on defense at the half, the Ducks completely shut down Amherst. Wasserman scored her third straight 1:32 into the second, and 6:30 later, sophomore midfielder Christine Smith gave Stevens a three-goal lead.
Wasserman scored again at 18:34 unassisted, Federico capitalized on a free-position attempt, and then Pigott tallied the game's next three goals over 8:06 to give Stevens an insurmountable eight-goal lead.
As mentioned, Sack was great in goal for Stevens. The senior saw 27 shots and made 15 saves, rarely allowing a rebound. She also only allowed Amherst to convert on two of their eight free-position attempts.
In addition to her six goals and three assists, Wasserman had four ground balls, two draw controls and two caused turnovers. Pigott had four goals, three ground balls, two caused turnovers, and a draw control as Federico recorded an assist to go along with her four tallies and two ground balls.
Smith had two goals for the Ducks but was amazing corralling draws. The sophomore was credited with a season- and game-high nine draw controls and was the main reason Stevens ended the contest with a 19-4 advantage in the category. Loria chipped in with two assists, a ground ball, and a draw control for the Ducks.
Sophomore Kate Cox played another great game for the Stevens defense, causing a game-high four turnovers and scooping up four ground balls. Senior captain Cassidy Callahan was also solid for the Ducks, causing two turnovers, corralling two draws, and grabbing two ground balls.
Stevens finished with a 34-27 edge in shots and led 22-14 in ground balls. The Ducks did commit more turnovers than Amherst (16-15) but the huge lead in draw controls gave Stevens many more possessions.
The Lord Jeffs were led by Craig's three goals and freshman goalkeeper Lamia Harik (Rye Brook, N.Y.) made 14 saves.
Stevens will return to action at Drew University on March 21. First draw is scheduled for 4 p.m.
