Late Goal Lifts Pride Over Blazers in GNAC Action

CHICOPEE, Mass. – Molly Higgins (Weymouth, Mass.) scored the go-ahead goal with 43 seconds remaining to lift Regis College Women's Lacrosse, 10-9, over the Blazers from Elms College in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) matchup. The win improved the Pride to 2-2 on the season, and 1-0 in GNAC action.

Audrey Mason (West Springfield, Mass.) fueled the Pride with six goals, while causing six turnovers and grabbing four ground balls. Higgins added two goals while Vanessa Kozinski (Merrimack, N.H.), and McKenna Benoit (Acushnet, Mass.) each chipped in with one.

The Blazers were led by Jackie Cronin who tallied two goals, four assists, and four ground balls while Greta Frankwicz recordered a hat trick to go with her two assists in the effort.

How it Happened:

• The Blazers jumped out to a 2-0 lead early, but Mason responded with a shot to the top left corner to make it a 2-1 game with 12:11 left in the first frame. Elms would then add two more goals to close out the frame, taking a 4-1 lead after 15 minutes of play.
• A pair of goals from Mason to start the second brought the Pride within one, but a goal from Elms at the 3:45 mark gave the home team a two-goal cushion.
• The rest of the half was all Pride, as Benoit scored off an assist from Maddie Sainato (Wilmington, Mass.). Then, in the final 22 seconds, Kozinski intercepted a pass in her defensive end, carried the ball the length of the field, and found the back of the net to tie the game at five going into break.
• A goal and an assist from Cronin in the third stanza would put Elms ahead 7-5 to enter the fourth quarter.
• Mason once again sparked her team to a comeback, recording three goals in the fourth, including her goal with 2:10 remaining that tied the game at nine before Higgins pulled out the heroics, netting the go-ahead goal in the final 43 seconds to lift the Pride over the Blazers, 10-9.

Inside the Numbers:

• First-year, McKenna Benoit registered her first collegiate goal this afternoon, while her classmate Maddie Sainato recorded her first collegiate assists.
• Audrey Mason recorded a career-high six goals in this afternoon's victory.
• The Pride's five-goal fourth quarter marks their highest scoring output in any quarter this season. 

Up Next:

The Pride have the week to recover before hitting the road to face Salem State University at noon on Saturday, March 15th, at Alumni Field in Salem, Massachusetts.