NEW LONDON, N.H. - Regis College kept battling back from an early deficit, but Colby-Sawyer College was able to hold on as the Chargers defeated the Pride, 11-10, Saturday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's lacrosse match at the Sally Shaw Veitch Track and Field Complex.
Colby-Sawyer (10-3, 6-2 GNAC) jumped on the board 59 seconds into the match as Olivia Romo found Heather Hanson for a goal. Hope Alto (Boston, Mass.) converted a free position attempt to tie the match before Cecilia Ponzini notched consecutive free position goals 39 seconds apart midway through the opening period to give the Chargers a 3-1 advantage.
Kylee Marley (Westerly, R.I.) scored an unassisted goal in the final minute of the period, but Rose Finlayson answered just 17 seconds later to reestablish a two-goal lead for the Chargers. The Pride cut their deficit to one twice in the second quarter on goals by Madeline Conover (West Newbury, Mass.) and Alto, but two goals by Finlayson as well as one from Hanson allowed Colby-Sawyer to go into halftime ahead, 7-4.
In the third quarter, Regis again closed to within one goal thanks to tallies by Mia Rogers (Revere, Mass.) and Audrey Mason (West Springfield, Mass.), but Hanson completed her hat trick with 1:28 left in the third quarter to increase the Charger lead back to two goals at 8-6. Marley converted a free position attempt 22 seconds into the fourth quarter to bring the Pride back within one goal at 8-7, but Colby-Sawyer scored three straight goals in a span of just over three minutes to open a four-goal advantage.
The Pride battled back, first taking advantage of an extra-player opportunity as Conover found Mason for her second goal of the day. Regis finally broke through again with 1:36 remaining as Alto scored off an assist from Retta Hatin (Hooksett, N.H.).
Molly Higgins (Weymouth, Mass.) grabbed the ensuing draw control, and Alto scored her fourth goal of the match to again bring the Pride within one goal with 59 seconds left in regulation. Alto collected the draw control, but Hannah Marquis forced a Regis turnover, and Colby-Sawyer was able to clear the ball into its offensive zone to run out the rest of the clock.
Besides scoring at least four goals in a match for the seventh time this season, Alto earned nine draw controls and is now just one draw control away from tying the Regis single-season record of 124 draw controls. Daniela Mazo (Bridgeport, Conn.) started the match in net for the Pride and made three saves, while Allayna Martone (Elkridge, Md.) made five saves in the second half, four of them coming in the fourth quarter to keep the Pride within striking distance.
Finlayson and Hanson finished with three goals apiece for the Chargers, while Romo dished out three assists. Hannah Himes led Colby-Sawyer defensively with seven caused turnovers and nine groundballs, and Simone Long made 10 saves to keep her team ahead throughout the contest.
Regis College (8-5, 4-4 GNAC) concludes the regular season with three straight home matches, starting Tuesday, April 16, against Saint Joseph's College beginning at 7 p.m.