AUBURNDALE, Mass. - Senior midfielder Alexia Malone Oliver (Bristol, R.I.) netted three goals to lead the Simmons College women's lacrosse team in a 19-9 loss to host Lasell College this afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference match at Grellier Field in Auburndale, Mass. The Sharks fall to 5-8 overall and 2-4 in GNAC play, while the Lasers improve to 8-5 and 4-2.
Simmons equaled the home team's goal total in the second half, 6-6, but Lasell's big first half margin of 13-3 was too much for the Sharks to overcome. The Lasers owned a 34-21 shot advantage, despite being outshot by their guests, 15-13 in the second stanza.
Malone Oliver added a ground ball and a caused turnover to her afternoon for Simmons, while while first year middie Elena Bragg (Belmont, Mass.) chipped in with a pair of markers, two ground balls, three draw controls and a caused turnover in the effort. Senior midfielder Ashley Sheehan (North Attleboro, Mass.), sophomores Kasey Fries (Bridgewater, Mass.) and Gabrielle Klane (Franklin, Mass.), and first year Mallory Cottam (Hope, R.I.) accounted for the remainder of the Sharks' offense.
Sophomore Taylor Yandow (Moretown, Vt.) added to her stellar season with a game-high six goals, two assists, and three draw controls. Seniors Ashlee Pechulis (Westfield, Mass.) and Bridget Munnelly (Bellingham, Mass.) registered four goals apiece in the victory, while classmate Taylor Dooley (Barnstable, Mass.) scored two goals and dished out a single assist. Rounding out the scoring for the Lasers was freshman Jordan McComb (Cumberland, R.I.), senior Stefanie Welch (Hancock, N.H.) and classmate Bridget Doherty (Franklin, Mass.), who all found the back of the net once for Lasell.
Lasell starting goalkeeper Bridget Delaney (Weymouth, Mass.) earned the win with one save, while junior Brooke Bergeron (Lynn, Mass.) saved four shots in second half relief. First year goalie Kenzie Rogers (Bourne, Mass.) recorded nine saves in the defeat for Simmons.
After Munnelly grabbed the opening draw, Yandow made her way to the Sharks' defensive zone and opened the scoring 2:22 into the contest. Yandow led the first half charge with four goals, creating a 7-2 gap on back-to-back markers with 11:58 left in the stanza. Fries and Cottam found the back of the net for the Sharks to stop a five-goal opening run by the Lasers during the stretch. Pechulis followed the trend with two consecutive goals of her own for the 10-goal bump before Welch netted her fifth goal of the year from Dooley's pocket. Klane secured the the draw after Welch's goal, and made her way to the Lasell net for her second goal of the year, as Simmons trailed 13-3 heading into the halftime break.
The Sharks were first to strike in the final 30 as Sheehan put away a free position shot 63 seconds into play. Malone Oliver collected a rebounded shot from Fries – with Bergeron on the save – and netted Simmons' fifth goal of the afternoon to cut the deficit to eight at 13-5 with 24:35 showing. Yandow stopped Simmons early half momentum with a pair of scores as part of a 3-0 run to increase the home team's lead to 16-5.
The Sharks matched the output with three unanswered tallies of their own. Bragg netted goals number 22 and 23 on the season, before Malone Oliver cut the deficit to 16-8 with her 13th goal of the year at the 11:08 mark. The Sharks were unable to cut any closer to the lead, as the Lasers scored three of the final four goals of the day, including the final when Dooley put away her 17th goal of the year on a feed from sophomore Danielle Chambrelli (Cheshire, Conn.) for the 19-9 result.
Both teams return to GNAC action on Saturday, April 23. Simmons hosts Albertus Magnus College on Winsor Field at 11:00 a.m., while the Lasers play their last road game at Johnson and Wales University for a 1:00 p.m. start.