Late Surge Leads Mount Holyoke Lacrosse Over Wellesley

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- The visiting Mount Holyoke lacrosse team scored the final three goals of the game, as the Lyons outpaced Wellesley, 11-9, in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) on a chilly Saturday afternoon.

The win improves Mount Holyoke to 6-5 overall, 1-2 in the NEWMAC. Wellesley dips to 4-7, 1-2 in the conference with the loss.

Mount Holyoke held a slim shots advantage in the game, out-shooting the Blue, 23-21. The Lyons had a distinct advantage in turnovers, however, as Wellesley gave the ball away 18 times to the Lyons' 11. 

The first half was closely played, with neither team taking more than a two-goal advantage. Mount Holyoke scored first, a Kirsten Kilburn unassisted goal, but Wellesley tied it on a free-position score from Mary Lemay. Julia Bell connected for the visitors at 20:16, but Wellesley answered with two-straight Meghan Peterson free position goals to take a 3-2 lead with 14:57 to play.

Mount Holyoke responded by out-scoring the Blue, 4-1, over the next seven minutes, led by a pair of goals from Bell. Kilburn and Naomi Miller each added scores in the surge, giving the Lyons a 6-4 lead with 7:57 to play in the half. Wellesley regained momentum in the final minutes, scoring two of the half's final goals, but Mount Holyoke held a slim 7-6 edge at the break.

The Lyons increased their lead to 8-6, just 2:15 into the second half, but Wellesley took over the game, scoring three times in three minutes to take a 9-8 lead with 19:52 to play. Nikki Sharkin scored twice during the Blue's run, while Claire Canty added a goal and an assist.

Down by one goal, the last 16 minutes of play belonged to Mount Holyoke, as the Lyons scored three times and kept the Blue off the board. Brianne Phelan tied the game at 9-9 on a pass from Catherine Ryan behind the goal, before Ryan and Phelan connected again to give the Lyons a 10-9 edge with 11:30 to play.

Holding on to the lead, Mount Holyoke played keep-away for much of the final 10 minutes of the game. Kilburn would add a score, with just under four minutes to play to increase the lead to 11-9, and Wellesley couldn't convert two free-position attempts in the final three minutes, giving the Lyons their first NEWMAC win.

Mount Holyoke's Kilburn and Bell combined for seven goals in the game, with Kilburn connecting four times and Bell, three. Bell added an assist in the contest, while Phelan and Ryan each scored once and assisted on two. Rounding out the Mount Holyoke offense, Miller scored twice, while Liz Randolph added a pair of helpers in the win.

Also for the Lyons, Phelan caused a pair of turnovers, while she and Miller each had a team-high three ground balls. Bell had three draw controls to lead Mount Holyoke, while in goal, Katherine Kayser-Hirsch made five saves in the win.

Wellesley's Meghan Peterson netted a hat trick to lead the Blue, while Canty finished with two goals, two assists, and a game-high five draw controls. Sharkin and Lemay each added two goals in the loss, while Wendy Nettleton made eight saves in goal for the Blue.

Both teams are back in action on Tuesday with NEWMAC contests. Wellesley will head to MIT for a 7:00pm game, while Mount Holyoke hosts Emerson at 6:30pm.