STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (April 21) - The Saint Vincent women's lacrosse team used a late first half run to gain separation as they downed Franciscan University 21-12 in non-conference action.
Senior
Jess Heuler got things started for SVC, scoring 20 seconds into the contest off an assist from sophomore
Maggie Nelson. After the Barons answered with a goal to tie it, freshman
Julianne Rosa tallied her second goal of the season, giving the Bearcats a 2-1 edge. The teams continued to trade goals over the next 10 minutes, putting the score at 4-4 with 17:27 left in the first half.
That is when SVC made its run to gain separation, outscoring Franciscan by a 9-1 margin to close the half. During the run, senior
Helena Shoplik tallied five goals while Nelson added two goals. Freshman
Naomi Schwaiger and sophomore
Katie Stallings chipped in a goal apiece. The run helped the Bearcats take a 13-5 advantage into halftime.
Stallings then scored the first two goals of the second half for SVC, making it 15-6 Bearcats with 23:13 left. Franciscan scored back-to-back goals to cut it to 16-9 with 19:31 remaining. SVC did a good job from that point to keep Franciscan at bay, closing the game on a 5-3 run. Nelson and
Sarah Wallerstedt had two goals each while Heuler would add another score, helping the Bearcats to the 21-12 victory. The contest was called with 4:24 left because of lightning.
Nelson again led the way for the Bearcats, totaling nine points overall (four goals, five assists). Shoplik put together a strong performance, totaling seven points in the victory. Stallings scored four goals, which gives her a new career high. Wallerstedt also notched four goals and chipped in an assist.
Heuler had eight draw controls to lead SVC in that department. Junior defender
Emma Weaver had three groundballs and three caused turnovers. Freshman
Maria Franey earned the win in net, making 10 saves.
Saint Vincent improved to 6-9 overall with the win, Franciscan dropped to 7-5 for 2016.
The Bearcats close out the regular season with a home game against Franklin College (Ind.) for an Ohio River Lacrosse Conference matchup. Start time is slated for 2 p.m. at Chuck Noll Field.
