Lamagdeleine paces Ravens with six goals

WINTER PARK, Fla. (March 17, 2012) – Junior attacker Ashley Lamagdeleine (Westfield, Mass.) scored a game- and career-high six goals on Saturday afternoon, but the Franklin Pierce University women's lacrosse team was defeated, 19-12, by University of New England in non-conference, neutral-site play at Richard L. Evans Field on the campus of Lake Howell High School. Freshman midfielder Gina Newsome led the way for UNE with six points on five goals and an assist.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce opens the season 0-1 (0-0 Northeast-10), while University of New England improves to 4-2 (0-0 Commonwealth Coast). The game was the first ever meeting between the two schools in women's lacrosse.

The Ravens opened the scoring quickly, as senior midfielder Mary Kate Stille (North Quincy, Mass.) struck just 32 seconds in and Lamagdeleine put home her first of the afternoon at the 3:04 mark, before UNE stormed to a 4-2 lead with four straight goals, two each from Newsome and sophomore attacker Hannah Tavella, in a span of 4:28.

The remainder of the first half would feature small surges from each side, as Franklin Pierce responded with three straight to take a 5-4 lead on Lamagdeleine's second at the 10:55 mark, only to see UNE run off three straight in the next 10 minutes to jump to a 7-5 lead when senior midfielder Jesalyn Dvorak scored despite the Nor'easters being down a player at the time. Franklin Pierce scored three of the final four goals of the half, including a goal and an assist from senior attacker Brianna Nash (Oceanside, N.Y.), and the two teams went into the intermission tied at 8-8.

The Ravens pushed the accelerator coming out of halftime, scoring four of the first five goals of the second half, including three more from Lamagdeleine, to jump to a 12-9 lead jut 5:51 into the period. However, Franklin Pierce would not score again over the final 24:09, perhaps taxed by the frantic pace of a game which featured 21 goals through its first 35 minutes.

UNE scored the final 10 goals of the game to come away with the 19-12 victory. Senior attacker Jessica Barton scored with 11:30 to play to give the Nor'easters the lead for good, and also added an assist during the run. Junior midfielder Emily Lodge, a former Raven, scored twice in the game-closing run, while Newsome tacked on two more goals and an assist.

After Lamagdeleine for Franklin Pierce, the only other multiple-goal scorer was Nash, who finished with two goals and an assist for three points. Junior midfielder Courtney Weber (Centerport, N.Y.) also had a three-point afternoon with one goal and two assists. Lamagdeleine scored all six of her goals on just six shot attempts, finding the net every time she tried.

Defensively for the Ravens, junior midfielder Lindsey Leach (Hamden, Conn.), senior defender Kim Jaksina (Townsend, Mass.) and Weber all recorded five ground balls and three caused turnovers each, tying for the team lead in both categories. Weber took a majority of the draws for Franklin Pierce, and controlled 10 of them herself as the only player in the game to capture more than four draw controls.

For UNE, Tavella joined Newsome with five goals, while Lodge finished with four points on three goals and an assist. Newsome did much of her damage from eight meters out, as she went 3-for-6 on free-position shots. Defensively, junior midfielder Nicolle Steel corralled a game-high six ground balls and forced a game-best five turnovers.

Franklin Pierce goalkeepers combined to make just four saves on the afternoon. Senior Jillian Bolduc (Atkinson, N.H.) started and turned aside two of 10 shots on her net before being replaced at halftime. Sophomore Jacqueline Jolles (Hamden, Conn.) made her Ravens debut, faced 13 shots in the second half, made two save and took the loss (0-1).

At the other end of the field, sophomore goalkeeper Samantha St. Pierre made 11 saves against 23 shots on goal to pick up the win (4-2) in front of the UNE net.

University of New England held a 30-29 advantage in shot attempts and a 30-27 edge in ground balls, while Franklin Pierce posted a 19-14 advantage in draw controls, including 14 of the 17 draws in the first half. Franklin Pierce was successful on nine of its 13 clear attempts (69.2%) and finished 2-for-7 on free-position shots (28.6%). UNE went 18-for-29 on clear attempts (62.1%) and 9-for-17 on free-position shots (52.9%).

The Ravens returns to the field on Monday, March 19, when take on Indiana Tech in a neutral-site, non-conference contest. Game time is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Richard L. Evans Field.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics).