WESTON, Mass. – By finishing second in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference regular season standings, Regis College enters the GNAC Women's Lacrosse Tournament as the second seed and will host seventh seed Emmanuel College in one of four quarterfinal games taking place Saturday, April 27, with the match at Regis Stadium starting at 12 p.m.
Regis lost its season opener to Utica March 12, 16-7, and its regular season finale to Johnson & Wales Wednesday, 17-8, but won 13 straight games from March 16 through April 17, the longest winning streak in program history. The Pride finished the regular season with a 13-2 overall record, the team's seventh straight season with at least 12 wins, including a 10-1 mark within the GNAC, giving Regis the opportunity to host not only Saturday's quarterfinal match, but also a semifinal contest Wednesday, May 1, should the Pride advance.
The Pride have been led throughout the year by junior Kerri Anselmo (Natick, Mass.), who has accumulated 39 goals and 38 assists for 77 total points. Anselmo, now with 78 career assists, became Regis' all-time assists leader Wednesday, and she has also established a new school record for most assists in a single season.
Regis received an infusion of offense with the addition of senior Alyssa Kelly (Lee, Mass.), the all-time leading goal scorer in Mount Ida College history who transferred after the closing of the school. Kelly currently leads the team with 46 goals, plus she is second on the squad with 45 ground balls and 37 draw controls.
In total, six Regis players have scored at least 15 goals this season, with Jordyn Ringuette (Colchester, Conn.), another Mount Ida transfer, earning 24 goals, followed by Brooke Ross (Hanover, Mass.) with 23 goals to go along with a team-high 43 draw controls. Emily Kosak (Milton, Mass.) leads the Pride with 63 ground balls to go along with 20 goals, and Rachel Nadeau (Coventry, Conn.) has added 18 goals. Taylor Assarian (Arlington, Mass.) will be another player to watch on the offensive end, as she is second on the team with 25 assists.
The defense has been led by Meghan Sargent (Brattleboro, Vt.), also from Mount Ida, as she has accumulated a team-high 37 caused turnovers, fourth-most in a single season in program history, along with 41 ground balls. Senior Kiana Koke (Queensbury, N.Y.) has provided leadership on the backline, while junior Maddy Rodriguez (Amherst, Mass.) has caused 20 turnovers and collected 38 ground balls. Freshman Brooke Greatorex (Gorham, Maine) has been another strong addition for the Pride, entering the tournament with 44 ground balls and 26 caused turnovers.
Brittany McPherson (Lynn, Mass.) took over for 2018 GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year Maresa Malcolm and has put together one of the best seasons by a goalie in program history. Playing every second in net for the Pride, McPherson has posted a 7.18 goals against average and a .548 save percentage with 131 total saves, currently seventh in the country in goals against average and 10th in Division III in save percentage.
Emmanuel finished seventh in the GNAC regular season standings with a 5-6 league mark as part of a 7-8 overall record. The Saints are coming off a 16-6 home victory over Rivier Wednesday night to close out the regular season.
Kylie Rice and Emily Saef are tied for the team lead with 43 goals apiece, with Rice also earning 27 assists for a team-high 70 points. Elizabeth Fortier leads the Saints with 41 ground balls, 51 draw controls, and 15 caused turnovers. Bethany Bonilla has started every match in net for Emmanuel, posting a 12.39 goals against average and a .465 save percentage with 152 total saves.
These teams met in Boston during the regular season, with Regis jumping out to a 10-3 lead on its way to a 14-8 victory April 1. Anselmo earned six goals and five assists for 11 total points, while Kelly contributed five goals and two assists. Rice led the Saints with five goals and one assist. McPherson made 13 saves for the Pride, while Bonilla finished with nine saves.
If Regis advances, it will host a semifinal contest Wednesday, May 1, against the winner of the quarterfinal match between third seed Lasell and sixth seed Saint Joseph's College, two teams that lost to the Pride by identical 11-10 scores. The highest remaining seed will host the conference title match next Saturday, May 4.
Live stats and live video will be available on GoRegisPride.com, and a full recap will be posted to the site later in the afternoon.