PC moves to 4-9 overall and evens its National Lacrosse
Conference record at 2-2. Liberty falls to 4-6 and 2-2 in NLC play.
Catherine Ellis (Charlotte, N.C.) scored a team-high four
goals in the win. Kirstin Stenoien (Houston, Texas) added three and Shannon
Hartford (Georgetown, Mass.) and Jaime Beamish (Memphis, Tenn.) each chipped in
with a pair as well.
Stenoien led the team in draw controls, with four. Melinda
Vasconcellos (Waxhaw, N.C.) also caused three turnovers and Hillary Leonard
(Duluth, Ga.) collected three ground balls.
Goalkeeper Susan England (Bethesda, Md.) picked up her
fourth win of the season, making 12 saves in the process.
PC led in nearly category, recording 20 ground balls to 18
and controlling 15 draws to Liberty's 11.
Tied 11-11, Stenoien tallied two unassisted goals to lift
the Blue Hose to victory.
The game began by Liberty jumping out to an early lead,
registering the first three goals of the contest through the first 10 minutes.
The Blue Hose responded to claw back within one as Ellis
tallied two of her four goals in less than a minute. Ellis found the net with
19:26 left in the first half and scored again just 45 seconds later, taking a
Brianne Ward (Cincinnati, Ohio) feed and putting a shot past goalkeeper Kristen
Masullo to make the score 3-2.
The Flames answered with a goal but two PC scores brought
the game even, 4-4. Hartford converted a Rachel Sweeney (Waxhaw, N.C.) pass
into her 21st goal of the year as the clock read 13:23 left in the first
half. Forty seconds later, Ellis completed her hat trick, taking advantage of a
Katie Prisco (West Babylon, N.Y.) helper to tie the game, 4-4.
Two Liberty goals later, PC deadlocked the game again with a
pair of unanswered goals. Hartford assisted on a Laura Meade (Acworth, Ga.) goal
before Meade recorded an assist of her own, helping out on Prisco's 16th
of the season. Liberty would score once more to take a 7-6 lead into the
halftime break.
The second half would see the Blue Hose outscore the Flames
7-5 for the pivotal game-winning goal.
Down 8-6 after an opening Liberty score, Stenoien scored an
unassisted goal followed by the junior assisting on Hartford's second of the
game with 24:51 remaining in regulation to tie the game, 8-8.
The see-saw battle continued as the teams swapped goals en
route to a 10-10 score. PC received goals from Beamish and Ellis on assists
from Stenoien and Hartford to keep the win in sight.
After Ellis scored, the freshman assisted on a Blue Hose
score one minute later by helping Beamish collect her ninth of 2011. Liberty
would respond, charging back to tie the game, 11-11.
Stenoien's goals would prove the difference as Liberty
climbed back to within one, but the PC defense held the Flames without a goal
for the final 8:41 to hold on for the win.
The Blue Hose travel to Detroit, Mich., for an NLC matchup
against Detroit Mercy on Sunday, April 10. The game is slated to begin at 11
a.m.
