Blue Lacrosse Celebrates Senior Day with 14-3 Win Over Coast Guard

WELLESLEY, Mass. — Wellesley College lacrosse celebrated Senior Day for co-captains Claire Canty (East Rockaway, N.Y.) and Meghan Peterson (Glastonbury, Conn.) by earning a 14-3 victory over the U.S. Coast Guard Academy on Saturday morning at the Wellesley Outdoor Fields Complex. 

The Blue improve to 3-2 in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWAMC) play and 6-3 overall following their third consecutive conference victory. Coast Guard drops to 3-9 overall (0-6 NEWMAC) in their inaugural season of NCAA women's lacrosse.

Canty led the Wellesley offense on the day, scoring a game-high five goals and adding a pair of assists. Canty's fourth goal of the game at 20:26 of the second half also gave the Blue senior 200 points in her Wellesley career. Meghan Peterson added a goal of her own to go along with a pair of ground balls, four draw controls and a caused turnover. 

Wellesley sophomore Nikki Sharkin added four goals against the Bears to increase her team-leading total to 28 on the season. Junior Nicole DeCanio (Weston, Conn.) also added a pair of goals, while sophomore Mary Lemay (Longmeadow, Mass.) and first year Jenny Gubner (Pleasanton, Calif.) both found the back of the net in the contest. Sophomore Courtney Peterson (Glastonbury, Conn.) finished with a game-high three assists, adding a pair of draw controls and a caused turnover. 

For Coast Guard, sophomore Niki Kruger (Coronado, Calif.) tallied her 21st and 22nd goals of the season, while also adding two ground balls and four draw controls. Senior Ruby Surgent (Huntingtown, Md.) also scored for Coast Guard, firing home her 17th of the season with 4:20 remaining in the game. Junior Lucy Daghir (Havre de Grace, Md.) added an assist on Kruger's first goal at 4:05 of the first. 

Wellesley opened the contest with eight consecutive goals, as both Canty and Sharkin registered first half hat-tricks and DeCanio scored both of her markers to help the Blue take an overwhelming 8-0 lead with 11:41 left before the half. 

Kruger's first goal got the Bears on the board at the end of the first but it did little to slow Wellesley after halftime. 

The Blue opened the second stanza with five consecutive goals, as Canty started the run at 20:26 before scoring the fifth on a free position shot at 13:09 to put Wellesley up 13-1. Lemay and Sharkin added goals just over a minute apart, at 19:51 and 18:41, as both took advantage of assists from Courtney Peterson. Gubner also scored on a free position shot at 15:22. 

Wellesley Lacrosse will continue NEWMAC play on Wednesday evening at 6:00 PM when the Blue travel to take on Emerson. Coast Guard will also return to conference action in its next matchup, as the Bears will host Babson on Wednesday at 7:00 PM.