HOBOKEN, N.J. (April 13, 2019)  – Junior Emily Shanklin scored on a free-position shot to snap an 8-8 tie to power the Stevens Institute of Technology women's lacrosse team to an 11-8 victory over Nazareth College Saturday in an Empire 8 Conference matchup at the DeBaun Athletic Complex.

Junior Kyra Bednarski followed with a power-play goal and freshman Natalie Fitzpatrick added an insurance goal in the final minutes as the Ducks scored the final three goals of the game in securing their third straight victory.

Bednarski totaled a game-high five goals to move into sole possession of sixth place on the all-time career goal-scoring list with 167 goals. The junior attackwoman began the day tied with alumna Michelle Buonacuore, who totaled 162 markers over her career on Castle Point. Shanklin finished the day with three goals for her fifth hat trick of the season and second in as many games. The victory extended Stevens' winning streak to three.

"I am so proud of the way the team played today," said head coach Karen Shaddock. "There have been so many challenges thrown at us this season and they have used them as opportunities to get better."

"Today, things really came together," Shaddock continued. "It was truly a great team win."

Freshman Gale Bennett came off the bench to record her third multi-goal game of the season for the Ducks, who improved to 6-7 on the year and 4-1 in conference play. The victory moved Stevens to 8-6 all-time against the Golden Flyers, including each of the last four meetings. With the victory, Stevens moved into sole possession of second place in the conference.

Prior to the game, the program honored and recognized seniors Regan Littell and Mackenzie Metzler for their contributions to the program as the duo, who have combined to appear in over 100 games and total nearly 50 victories, appeared in one of their final games on Castle Point.

"The senior class has been so supportive and driven all year," Shaddock commented. "I am so proud of how hard they have worked. They have been so positive through everything we've gone through this season and there couldn't have been a better way for us to honor them than with our performance today. The team really played hard for one another and for them. It has been a privilege to get to know then, and coach them, this year."

Freshman Natalie Fitzpatrick added a goal and classmate Morgan Westerby and Bennett each dished out an assist to round out Stevens' scoring. Over their last five contests, the Ducks are averaging just over 16 goals per contest.

"Offensively, we played composed and worked together," Shaddock said. "Kyra and Emily were smart and put the ball away. Throughout the game, we were able to see multiple players step up to become threats, which was good to see."

Kellie Byrne scored three times and Addilys Geitner had a goal and two assists to lead Nazareth, who fell to 6-7 overall and 3-2 in conference play. The Golden Flyers have dropped two straight and are tied with Hartwick and Utica in the league standings.

Sophomore Peyton Taylor drew the start in the cage and made five saves to earn her third straight win. Brianna Rizzari made 11 saves in defeat for Nazareth.

"We were able to create a lot of looks offensively and find the openings," Shaddock commented. 

Nazareth claimed the opening draw control, leading to Byrne's first goal of the contest. Bednarski answered on the next possession of the game after Westerby controlled the ensuing draw. The Syracuse, New York native beat Rizzari just 69 seconds later to give Stevens its first lead of the day.

Byrne found the back of the net for the second time to again draw the teams even, but Bennett and Shanklin beat Rizzari two minutes apart to push Stevens ahead by two. The teams alternated the next four goals to give the Ducks a 6-4 lead at the intermission.

Byrne completed her hat trick after a Stevens yellow card, but Shanlin and Bennett buried back-to-back shots to push the lead to three. 

Nazareth again took advantage of a Stevens yellow card, scoring a pair of power-play goals over a 60-second stretch to pull within one. Lauren Caldwell beat Taylor with just under 20 minutes left in the contest to even the score.

Tied at eight, Shanklin earned the ensuing draw control, but Bennett threw the ball away, leading to a Nazareth counterattack. The Golden Flyers were unable to clear the attacking zone as Bednarski stripped Emma Robinson and Fitzpatrick picked up the ground ball to return possession to the home team. The Ducks worked the ball around the offensive zone, which resulted in Jade Hendricks committing a shooting space violation. Shanklin took the free-position and whipped the ball past Rizzari for her 28th tally of the season.

Taylor made a pair of saves over the final 18 minutes to preserve the victory.

Stevens outshot Nazareth 23-16, including a 19-13 edge in shots on goal. Bednarski led all players with seven attempts, while Shanklin fired six. Byrne topped Nazareth with four.

A defensive grind at times, the teams combined for 29 turnovers, with junior Kayla Buell leading the efforts with a pair of caused turnovers. 

"Our defense was great," Shaddock commented. "They worked hard as a unit. Regan had a great game and her teammates followed her lead. We had a couple of yellow cards that hurt us, but the team worked hard to get through those moments."

Shanklin earned a season-high 12 draw controls as the Ducks earned 14 as a team, with Westerby securing the other two. Vicki Arena collected three to lead Nazareth. Shanklin's efforts moved the Berkeley, Michigan native into third place in the Empire 8 with five draw controls per game.

"Emily and [Haley Hanrahan] were incredible on the draw," Shaddock offered. "They worked extremely well together and were able to adapt and handle pressure."

Littell scooped up four ground balls to lead all players, while five different players picked up two. Arena, Jordan Knapp and Callahan Lyon picked up two ground balls each to lead Nazareth.

Nazareth converted just one of its free-position attempts. Bednarski and Shanklin combined to go 5-of-8 on their free-position attempts. As a team, the Ducks went 5 for 10.

The teams combined for five yellow cards, which led to five power-play goals.

The Ducks went 13 for 16 on clears, while Nazareth was successful on 14 of their 18 clearing attempts.

Up Next: Women's Lacrosse welcomes No. 12 Trinity College to the DeBaun Athletic Complex on Wednesday, April 17 for the team's final non-conference game of the season. Trinity leads the all-time series 5-0, including a 15-6 victory in Connecticut one season ago.

Facebook: "Like" Stevens Athletics         
Twitter: @stevensducks
Instagram: @stevensducks
Snapchat: ducks_athletics
#AllRise