April 13, 2008

Box Score

Erie, Pa. - The No.7 Mercyhurst Lakers women's lacrosse team won its seventh straight Sunday in a decisive 17-5 victory over the Shippensburg Raiders. Junior classmates Breanna Haggerty and Jessie Horeth combined for nine of the Lakers' 17 goals and together scored the first six goals of the game. Mercyhurst improves to 10-2 overall while the Raiders drop to 3-9 this year.

Horeth opened up the scoring just two minutes into the game off of an assist from freshman midfielder Kimberly Masterton. There would be a ten minute scoreless gap until Haggerty would tally her first goal of the day at the 18:07 mark. Shippensburg then answered back with back-to-back goals from Gayle Kuntzman and Katie Irwin. The last fifteen minutes of the first half was all Lakers though as Mercyhurst exploded offensively on a 7-1 run to close at the half with a 9-3 advantage.

In the second half, Mercyhurst continued to dominate offensively outscoring the Raiders 8-2. Haggerty and Horeth opened up the scoring in the second thirty minutes of play with back-to-back goals at the 27:07 and 23:45 minute marks. The Lakers would shutout the Raiders in the remaining 16 minutes of play and put up an additional five goals for the win.

Following Haggerty and Horeth, the Lakers picked up goals from six other players in the contest and assisted on seven of the 17 goals. Senior captain Courtney Olevnik contributed two goals and one assist while Masterton finished the day with one goal and two assists. Meghan Dwyer also contributed two goals and defender Beth O'Neil dished out two assists. Kristen Toomey, Elizabeth Tice and Elizabeth Wagner each added one goal and Alicia Guzzo tallied one assist. Haggerty also added one assist to her five goals.

Haggerty, an All-American candidate, has now scored at least three goals in 20 consecutive games and has scored at least one goal in 37 straight and 39-of-41 games for her career.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Mercyhurst defensive unit held the Raiders to 19 shots and five free position shots. Senior captain Holly Brown scooped up a team-high four groundballs and two caused turnovers while freshman Maggie Yackel contributed two groundballs and one caused turnover. Goalkeeper Jessica Raniero posted a season-high 10 saves in the win.

Mercyhurst will return to action when it hosts Bloomsburg Saturday at 11 a.m.