BOSTON, Mass. - The Hawks women's lacrosse team has clinched the number three seed in the Conference of New England (CNE) Playoffs after defeating Suffolk University by a 21-16 final in Boston.
Rapid Recap:
- The Hawks and Rams traded goals after the first three minutes, but sophomore Madison Olmstead (Wolcott, Conn.) picked up her 50th goal of the year to give Hartford the early edge. Sophomore Talei Ricketson (Centennial, Colo.) added a goal just 30 seconds later as the advantage grew to 3-1. After Suffolk produced a second goal, freshman Kate Zonin (North Smithfield, R.I.) kept the lead at 4-2 for the Hawks with her first goal of the day. The home team battled back getting three-straight to end the first quarter leading 5-4.
- Olmstead started the second quarter with back-to-back goals to give Hartford the 6-5 lead once again. The Rams would respond taking the lead back now up 9-7. Olmstead would score two more times, but the Hawks would trail 10-9 headed into the second half.
- Olmstead continued to find the back of the net getting two more goals to even the score at 11 after three minutes in the second half. Senior Meghan Smith (Orange, Conn.) kept the game tied with 8:56 to play getting a free position goal. Hartford would get back in front on a power play goal by sophomore Lauren Samela (Cheshire, Conn.). Samela added a second goal later, while Olmstead capped off a huge third quarter as the Hawks led 16-13.
- Smith and Olmstead combined for goals both on assists by junior Courtney Ingham (Bedford, N.H.) to kick off the final quarter as the lead jumped to 18-13. A pair of goals by Smith gave Hartford the advantage for good winning by a 21-16 final.
Inside The Numbers:
- Olmstead scored a season-high 12 goals in the win to go with an assist and seven draws. Smith registered four goals, a helper and 13 draw controls. Ingham led the passing attack with four assists, while Samela had three goals in the win.
- Defensively junior Sara Costa (Shrub Oak, N.Y.) led the way with two caused turnovers and three grounders. Junior Samantha Ciaglo (Colchester, Conn.) added a pair of causes while sophomore Katie Graham (Colchester, Conn.) also contributed two causes and three grounders.
- Sophomore Mandi Rivard (Vernon, Conn.) picked up the win going all 60 minutes stopping five shots.
Up Next:
The Hawks earned the #3 seed in the CNE Tournament and will take on #6 Western New England on Saturday with a 12:00 PM start.
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