WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The nationally ranked No. 7 University of New Haven women’s lacrosse team defeated Southern New
Hampshire University 20-6 Saturday afternoon at Kayo Field. In the win, senior midfielder Ashley Ferrandiz (West Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) amassed 10 total points and broke her previous UNH record. She dished out seven assists and scored three goals in the win. The Chargers improved to 11-2 overall and 6-2 in the Northeast-10 Conference, while the Penmen fell to 3-9 overall and 2-7 in conference play.
Ferrandiz scored the game’s first goal in just under one minutes and thirty seconds into the first half. Southern New Hampshire evened the score at 1-1 three minutes later when Sara Halbich netted her ninth of the season. The Chargers regained the lead at the 24:42 mark when Alexis Gabbe (Malverne, N.Y./Malverne) scored her 36th goals of the season off a pass from Ferrandiz. The Penmen evened the score one more time, at the 20:28 mark, before Natalie Lieberman (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport South Manor) put the Chargers ahead for good. The junior scored her 26th goal of the season with 13:55 left in the first half to give UNH a 3-2 lead. New Haven added seven more points in the final 13 minutes of the first half and held a 10-2 lead at the break.
Just over six minutes into the second half, Nicole McKee (Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur) was on the receiving end of a Ferrandiz pass and netted the Chargers first goal of the second half. The Chargers scored eight-straight to open the second half and took an 18-2 lead when Kassi Grant (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Connetquot) netted her seventh of the season with 10:55 left in the half. The Penmen broke the streak and scored four of the final six goals of the game to bring the final score to 20-6. On the Chargers 17th goal, with 12:04 left in the second half, Ferrandiz handed out her seventh assist of the game and 10th point to break the previous UNH record of nine points in a game.
The Chargers held a 21-7 advantage in draw controls and a 41-13 advantage in shots. New Haven also led in ground balls 22-14, while completing 10-of-12 clear attempts.
In goal, Maureen Spellman (Trumbull, Conn./St. Joseph) won her 11th game of the season and tallied five saves. Ferrandiz added a game-high six draw controls and three ground balls for UNH. Gabbe and Sarah Magnone (Yardley, Pa./Villa Joseph Marie) each chipped in with four goals and one assist. Kristina Curry (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow) scored three goals and Campbell added two scores.
New Haven returns to action on Wednesday, April 18 when it travels to No. 1 Le Moyne College for another NE-10 showdown. Game time in Syracuse, N.Y. is set for 1 p.m. For complete coverage, stay posted to www.NewHavenChargers.com.
