HOBOKEN, N.J. (March 10, 2012) – Eighth-ranked Trinity College (Conn.) defeated No. 11 Stevens Institute of Technology, 11-7, in a non-conference women's lacrosse game Saturday afternoon at the De Baun Athletic Complex in Hoboken, N.J. The Bantams (1-0) scored the first four goals of the second half to push a two-goal halftime lead to six, and the Ducks were unable to recover. Stevens (2-1) was led by two goals apiece from senior Michelle Buonacuore (Medford, N.J.) and sophomore Gabrielle Gordon (Flemington, N.J.).
Both defenses played well in the first half, with the Bantams taking a 4-2 into the intermission. Senior Caite Irvine (Westwood, Mass.) and freshman midfielder Caroline Hayes (Greenland, N.H.) converted free-position attempts 6:19 apart to put the Trinity on top 2-0 10:42 into the game, and Buonacuore recorded the Ducks' first with 16:41 left in the first.
Senior attack Madeline Hardy (Topsfield, Mass.) made it three free-position goals for Trinity, with Buonacuore closing out the scoring in the first half with her second unassisted goal of the period with 5:47 on the clock.
The opening 5:56 of the second half proved to be the difference, with Trinity turning a 4-2 halftime edge into an 8-2 advantage. Junior attack Hadley Duncan (Rye, N.Y.) started things nine seconds in on a feed from senior midfielder Liz Bruno (Andover, Mass.). Bruno followed with her first 45 seconds later, with junior Megan Leonhard (Summit, N.J.) finding the back of the net with 25:27 to play. Duncan's second gave Trinity the six-goal edge that the Ducks were unable to overcome.
Sophomore midfielder Kara Rafferty (Bayshore, N.Y.) slowed the momentum with her second goal of the season, but Duncan answered for the Bantams to push the margin back to six. Junior midfielder Joey Galligan (Burlingame, Calif.) brought the Ducks back within five, but again, Trinity had the answer, this time it was Bruno getting the Bantams' sixth free-position goal of the game.
Gordon sparked the Ducks, putting in back-to-back tallies to get Stevens within four at 10-6 with 5:28 left, but it was not enough as the two teams traded goals in the final minutes for the 11-7 margin. Irvine scored her third of the afternoon while junior midfielder Spencer Waybright (West Hartford, Conn.) put in her sixth of the season.
Trinity ended with a 23-17 edge in shots and a 23-21 margin in ground balls. The Bantams won 12 of the 20 draw controls and went 7-for-14 on free-position attempts. Stevens was 2-for-2.
Junior goalie Meg Collins (Marshfield, Mass.) made 11 saves for the Ducks, while her counterpart, junior Olivia Whitney (Danvers, Mass.), made five.
Senior defender Lindsay Daly (Northport, N.Y.) picked up six ground balls and caused four turnovers in a strong performance for Stevens, while classmate Ashley Carey (Mahopac, N.Y.) had five ground balls, three draw controls and two caused turnovers. Waybright added three ground balls, two draw controls and a caused turnover to her line, while Galligan had a goal, two ground balls and two caused turnovers.
Irvine and Duncan each scored three goals for Trinity, with Bruno tallying twice and recording a pair of assists as well. She also had three caused turnovers, four ground balls and three draw controls.
Stevens now takes its Spring Break trip to Clermont, Fla. While there the Ducks will take on No. 1 Gettysburg College and Springfield College. Wednesday's Gettysburg game is slated for a 10 a.m. start.
