ALFRED, N.Y. (April 26, 2009) – Sophomore Pamela Loria scored five times and senior goalkeeper Grace Sack made seven saves to help lift the No. 12 Stevens Institute of Technology women's lacrosse team to a 17-7 win over Empire 8 foe Alfred University on Sunday afternoon in Alfred, N.Y. The win moves the Ducks to 15-0 on the season and completes a perfect conference regular season (8-0). Stevens will now move on to play No. 4 The College of New Jersey in its final tune-up before hosting the 2009 Empire 8 Women's Lacrosse Championship next Saturday and Sunday.
Stevens took the lead early and never gave it up as junior Alyssa Pigott tallied 1:33 into the game. Loria got her first after an assist from sophomore midfielder Christine Smithfor a 2-0 lead, and after a Saxon goal, the Ducks ripped off three straight to take a commanding 5-1 lead with 11:09 left in the first. Smith, freshman Jenna Scheibling, and Loria had the goals in the run.
Alfred answered with two goals of its own to make it a 5-3 game late in the first, but the Ducks responded with goals from sophomore Leah Wasserman, freshman Ashley Carey, and Loria. The tallies came over a span of just 3:38 and gave the Ducks an 8-3 lead. Alfred standout Michelle Adams (Horseheads, N.Y.) recorded her third goal of the half to make it 8-4 heading into the break.
Junior Katie Lalli notched a goal 40 seconds into the second half to ignite a 7-0 Stevens run that put the game away.
Stevens ended with a sizable 45-16 advantage in shots and picked up 27 ground balls compared to 25 for Alfred. The Ducks controlled 17-of-26 draws and went 4-for-10 on free-position shots.
Loria finished with five goals and one assist along with a team-high four ground balls and a caused turnover. Pigott finished with three scores and two assists, and Smith totaled three points (one goal, two assists) and a game-high five draw controls. Lalli finished with two goals and ground ball, and junior Fionuala Quinn had four ground balls and two caused turnovers. Junior Kara Borzillo found net once, picked up a ground ball, controlled one draw, and caused two turnovers, and Wasserman finished with two goals, one assist, two draw controls, and two ground balls.
Head Coach Celine Cunningham was able to get her entire bench into the action. Carey finished with the one goal, two ground balls, two draw controls, and two caused turnovers. Scheibling tallied twice and corralled two draws. Sophomore Sloane Collins had an excellent game, picking up four ground balls and causing three turnovers as sophomore Erin Boosmann had two ground balls and a draw control.
Stevens will return to action on Tuesday at 7 p.m. versus No. 4 TCNJ in Ewing, N.J. The Ducks will then host the 2009 Empire 8 Women's Lacrosse Championship beginning on Saturday afternoon at the De Baun Athletic Complex. The Ducks will take on fourth-seeded St. John Fisher College at 12 p.m. with the winner advancing to Sunday's final versus second-seeded Rochester Institute of Technology or third-seeded Nazareth College.
