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LATROBE, Pa. (April 14) - The Saint Vincent women's lacrosse team used a strong offensive performance to claim a 22-13 victory over Franklin College on Senior Day in Latrobe. 

Saint Vincent built early leads of 5-3 and 6-4 midway through the first half as the Grizzlies fought hard to stay in the game. However, sparked by Nelson and Naomi Schwaiger, Saint Vincent pulled away with a 6-0 run to build a 12-4 advantage with 5:43 left in the first half. Two more goals by Nelson in the final two minutes helped push the edge to 15-7 at halftime. 

After Franklin scored to open the second half, Courtney Kloos, Schwaiger and Nelson ripped off a goal each to make the lead 18-8 with 23:03 remaining. Senior Libby Volna would then score her first collegiate goal and senior Alex Piampiano would add a late goal as the Bearcats coasted in the second half. 

Nelson recorded 11 goals for a fourth straight contest, bringing her goal total to 90 for the season, which establishes a new single-season program record. The Jefferson, Md. native added three assists, eight ground balls, five draw controls and two caused turnovers in a fantastic Senior Day performance.

Schwaiger added an assist for a seven-point output while picking up four ground balls. The six goals brought Schwaiger's season total to 50, making her only the fifth player in school history to reach that mark. Kloos added four points and four ground balls in the victory. 

Rachel Belles continued to be strong in the midfield, tallying a season-high 12 draw controls. The sophomore added five caused turnovers, four ground balls, an assist and a goal to fill the stat sheet. 

Saint Vincent moves its winning streak to four games, which improves its record to 8-2 overall and 6-1 in the ORLC. Franklin drops to 3-5 overall and 3-4 in league play.

The Bearcats travel to Franciscan University for a non-conference game on Sunday (April 15).