Canty Scores 100th Career Goal as Blue Lacrosse Tops UNE in Season Opener

BIDDEFORD, Maine — Wellesley College lacrosse scored three straight goals late in the second half to rally for a 10-8 victory in the Blue's opening game of the season versus the University of New England on Saturday afternoon at UNE's Big Blue Turf. The Blue have now won five of the last eight annual early-season contest between the two schools, dating back to 2008.

Senior co-captain Claire Canty (East Rockaway, N.Y.) had a goal, an assist, six draw controls and three ground balls. Canty's goal both tied the contest at 8-8 with 5:30 remaining in regulation and was the 100th goal of her Wellesley career.

Blue sophomore Nikki Sharkin (Summit, N.J.) and first year Jenny Gubner (Pleasanton, Calif.) both recorded hat-tricks in the contest. Both players also added assists to tie for game-high honors with four points. Senior Meghan Peterson (Glastonbury, Conn.) added a pair of goals, while junior Chesley Hooker (Cypress, Texas) also scored for the Blue. Sophomore Wendy Nettleton (La Jolla, Calif.) made six saves to earn the win in goal.

UNE, who drops to 1-2 overall, got a pair of goals from both senior Gina Newsome (Danbury, Conn.) and sophomore Jocelyn Davee (Freeport, Maine). Newsome added an assist to finish with a team-high three points.

Wellesley opened the scoring just 52 seconds into the contest, when senior Meghan Peterson scored on the Blue's first possession. The Wellesley margin would increase to 2-0 at 26:20 as Gubner tallied her first collegiate goal on a free position shot. The Blue would take advantage of another free position opportunity at 19:08, when Sharkin fired home a shot to make the score 3-0. Sharkin registered a team-high nine shots and five free position attempts in the contest.

Newsome then scored both of her goals on either side of a marker form senior Macki Hill (York Beach, Maine) as the hosts rallied to tie the score at 3-all. However, Meghan Peterson would score with just eight second left in the opening half to give the Blue a 4-3 advantage at the break.

A quick strike from UNE tied the contest just after halftime but Sharkin and Gubner responded, finding the back of the goal at 25:00 and 24:06, respectively, to push the Blue back out ahead. With the Blue leading 6-4, the Nor'easter scored three unanswered goals, including both of Davee's tallies, before Hooker tied the contest at 7-all on a feed from Canty at 17:19.

UNE took its final lead of the game at 9:15 when Jessica Deedon (Sheerman, Conn.) scored her third goal of the year to push the Nor'easter out to an 8-7 advantage.

Canty responded for Wellesley, scoring the 100th goal of her career just under four minutes later to spark a string of three straight Blue goals. Gubner completed her hat trick, scoring on a free position attempt just 20 second after Canty's strike, before Sharkin aded her third goal in the dying seconds of the contest to secure the 10-8 victory for the Blue.

UNE will hit the road for the first time this season on Tuesday when they take on No. 5 Colby at 4:00 PM. Wellesley will host its first home contest of the year on Wednesday afternoon at 4:00 PM, when the Blue welcome Lasell College to the turf at Wellesley's Outdoor Field Complex.