BOSTON, Mass. – Junior Alyssa Kelly (Lee, Mass.) scored six goals to propel the Mount Ida women's lacrosse team over Wentworth Institute of Technology, 15-7, in non-conference action Wednesday evening at Sweeney Field.
Mount Ida kicks off its 2018 campaign at 1-0, while Wentworth drops to 0-1 in the opener.
The Mustangs held a commanding 9-1 lead after the first half, with four goals from Kelly. After Mount Ida put away eight goals to start, Wentworth sophomore Shannon Sturtz (Littleton, Mass.) broke the shutout with 9:47 left, finishing on a pass out front from junior Brooke Paradis (Pelham, N.H.).
Mount Ida continued its offensive surge to start the second half and put three more points on the board in the first five minutes to hold a 12-1 advantage. Wentworth showed life after a goal from Paradis at the 8:43 mark and scored four straight goals – three in just over a one-minute span - and held Mount Ida scoreless until 2:20 remained in regulation. Freshman Emily Rogers (Pembroke, Mass.) converted on a free position shot to trail the Mustangs 12-5, before sophomore Julie Dam (Milford, Mass.) found the back of the net on a dish from Leah Cummins (Plymouth, Mass.) to shrink the deficit to six. Paradis completed her hat-trick with 6:10 left in regulation, converting on a free position shot for the 12-7 score.
Paradis rode momentum after grabbing the ensuing draw and fired a shot top shelf, but Ida senior goalkeeper Eleanor Garvey (Elkridge, Md.) denied Wentworth any more glory, as the Mustangs closed the opener with three unanswered tallies for the 15-7 final.
Paradis led the Leopards with three goals and nine draw controls, while Rogers finished with two goals. Sturtz and junior Courtney McCormick (Hanson, Mass.) each finished with a goal apiece to round out the scoring for Wentworth. Cummins was a force on defense for the Leopards with four caused turnovers.
For the Mustangs, Brooke Scahill (Gales Ferry, Conn.) followed Kelly's lead with four goals and five draw controls. Freshman Jordyn Ringuette (Colchester, Conn.) and senior Emily McConnell (Dracut, Mass.) each found the back of the net twice, while senior Hayley Napier (Fairhaven, Mass.) scored once for Mount Ida.
Garvey recorded a career-high 21 saves in the victory, while Wentworth freshman keeper Lily Kuhns (Gloucester, Mass.) stopped 16 shots in her first collegiate contest.
Wentworth heads to Hilton Head, South Carolina for its spring break trip, and will face Wittenberg and Kenyon on March 7th and 9th, respectively.
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