FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
#2 Lasell 17, #3 Mount Ida 8
NEWTON, Mass. – The Lasell College trio of senior Taylor Yandow (Moretown, Vt.) and juniors Jordan McComb (Cumberland, R.I.) and Vanessa Pino (Methuen, Mass., pictured) combined for 13 goals and six assists Tuesday afternoon as the second-seeded Lasers upended third-seeded Mount Ida College, 17-8, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference Women's Lacrosse Tournament Semifinal at Grellier Field.
The Lasers (14-3) won their ninth game in a row and avenged their last loss, a 15-10 setback at Mount Ida on the last day of March. Lasell advances to the GNAC Championship game for the first time since winning the title over Johnson & Wales University in 2016. Mount Ida's season comes to an end with a 12-5 overall record.
Lasell will travel to top-seeded Johnson & Wales University for the championship game this Saturday, May 5. The Wildcats advanced with a 19-4 semifinal victory Tuesday over fourth-seeded Regis. The title game is a rematch of the March 27 meeting, won by host JWU, 18-7.
McComb finished with a game-high six goals and one assist, Yandow added five goals and nine draw controls, and Pino contributed two goals and five assists to power the Lasers to the victory. Freshman Kellie Matthews (Walpole, Mass.) also tallied two goals and eight draw controls in the win.
Sophomore Morgan Choquet (Woonsocket, R.I.) led an impressive defensive effort for the Lasers, making 17 saves on 25 shots. Senior defender Taylor Falco (Hazlet, N.J.) picked up a team-high five ground balls
Juniors Alyssa Kelly (Lee, Mass.) and Brooke Scahill (Gales Ferry, Conn.) posted two goals and one assist apiece for the Mustangs, and freshman Jordyn Ringuette (Colchester, Conn.) also scored a pair. Kelly also posted a strong all-around game with team-highs of four ground ball, four draw controls and three caused turnovers.
After Pino set up McComb with the first goal of the game for Lasell, Mount Ida went on a rally with four of the next five goals over the next five minutes, taking a 4-2 lead with 22 minutes to go in the first half. The rest of the half belonged to the Lasers as the hosts out-scored the visitors 7-0 to take a 9-4 advantage into the break. Yandow, McComb and Matthews all scored twice in the surge, including Yandow's third of the half with less than three second left on the clock.
Mount Ida came alive to start the second half, scoring the first two goals to cut the margin to 9-6, but Lasell did not relent and rattled off five in a row to push the lead up to 14-6 with 11 minutes remaining. The Mustangs tried one last comeback with back-to-back-goals, but Lasell tacked on three more in the final nine minutes to preserve the victory.
Lasell had the advantage in shots (37-34), draw controls (18-9) and ground balls (22-19). Mount Ida goalie Eleanor Garvey (Eldridge, Md.) gave a valiant effort, making 12 saves, but took the loss.
Courtesy of Lasell Athletics Communications.
#1 JWU 19, #4 Regis 4
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A strong six-minute stretch in the first half propelled the Johnson & Wales University women's lacrosse team to victory on Tuesday in the semifinals of the GNAC Tournament. The Wildcats advanced to the championship game with a 19-4 victory over Regis.
Records:
Regis: 13-5
Johnson & Wales: 16-2
Statistical Leaders:
Maria Patane (JWU): 1 goal, 6 assists
Allison Pazienski (JWU): 6 goals, 2 assists
Raquel Pederzani: 3 goals, 1 assists
Of Note:
The 16 wins equal last year's team for the most in school history. The Wildcats move on to their third GNAC Championship game in a row.
Bridget Dowling pulled the Pride within 2-1 at the 24:39 mark of the first half. Dowling scored two of Regis' four goals. The Wildcats scored four times in six minutes as part of a 6-0 run that opened an 8-1 advantage.
Five different players found the back of the net during the run, including a pair from Raquel Pederzani. JWU went into the locker room with an 11-2 lead.
The Wildcats had a 40-8 advantage in shots and picked up 24 ground balls, compared to 19 by the Pride. Johnson & Wales forced Regis into 28 turnovers and won 16 of 25 draw controls.
Five different Wildcats recorded a hat trick, led by Allison Pazienski who tied her career-high with six goals. Maria Patane set a career-high with six assists.
Up Next:
Johnson & Wales will host Lasell at 1 p.m. on Saturday in the championship game.
Courtesy of JWU Athletics Communications.
Quarterfinals - Saturday, April 28
Game 1: #1 Johnson & Wales 21, #8 Rivier 2 | BOX
Game 2: #4 Regis (Mass.) 9, #5 Saint Joseph's (Me.) 6 | BOX
Game 3: #3 Mount Ida 19, #6 Norwich 8 | BOX
Game 4: #2 Lasell 21, #7 Simmons 11 | BOX
Semifinals - Tuesday, May 1
Game 5: #1 Johnson & Wales 19, #4 Regis (Mass.) 4 | BOX
Game 6: #2 Lasell 17, #3 Mount Ida 8 | BOX
Championship - Saturday, May 5
Game 7: #2 Lasell at #1 Johnson & Wales - 1:00 PM
Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement.
– #TheGNAC –