MANCHESTER, N.H. – Senior Natalie Lieberman (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport South Manor) scored a game-high five goals to lead the nationally ranked No. 13 University of New Haven women’s lacrosse team to a 12-11 victory at Saint Anselm College Saturday evening. The Manorville, N.Y. native scored her fifth goal of the game and the eventual game-winner with 1:31 left in regulation to lift the Chargers to their fifth win of the season.
The Chargers improved to 5-5 overall and 3-2 in the Northeast-10 Conference with the win. The Hawks dropped to 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the NE-10 with the loss.
The first half saw very little action with both teams scoring just four goals. The Hawks struck first just over one minute into the contest. Freshman Courtney Ackland (Perth, Western Australia/Churchlands) tied the game at 1-1 with a goal at the 19:23 mark. Just over one minute later, Saint Anselm took the lead back with its second of the game. The Hawks lead grew to two points with 15:45 left in the first half with a free position goal from Kaitlyn Stazinski. Saint Anselm scored its four goal of the game with 12:44 and the Hawks took a 4-1 lead.
At the 11:40 mark, Kathryn Campbell (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield) scored New Haven’s second goal, off a free position shot, and brought the lead back within two. Five minutes later, New Haven got back within one when Natalie Lieberman (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport South Manor) scored an unassisted goal with 6:36 left in the half. Campbell would even the game once again with her second goal of the half at the 2:09 mark. Marissa McDermott (Longmeadow, Mass./Wilbraham & Monson Academy) stopped the Hawks final attempt as time expired in the first half and the game went into halftime tied at 4-4.
In the second half, the lead changed three times and the score was tied another five times. The Hawks scored the first of the second half to take a 5-4 lead. The Chargers then went on a 3-0 run to take a 7-5 lead with 25:09 on the clock. #Kristina Curry scored the first of the streak, while Nicole McKee (Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur) and Lieberman finished the stretch. UNH maintained the lead until the 13:35 mark when the Hawks evened the score at 8-8. Saint Anselm continued on a 3-0 run to take its second lead of the half with 12:51 on the clock.
Lieberman scored her third of the game with 11:35 left to even the score at 9-9. Courtney Ackland (Perth, Western Australia/Churchlands) and Lieberman would each score another in the next three 1/2 minutes to give the Chargers a comfortable 11-9 lead. Saint Anselm would score two more to tie the game at 11-11 once again in the final four minutes. Lieberman’s game-winner was the game’s final point and the Chargers sealed the victory.
McDermott finished the game with seven saves between the pipes for UNH and earned her third win this season.
Lieberman added two assists in the game for a total of seven points. Campbell finished the game with two goals and one assist for three total points. The sophomore also grabbed a team-high four draw controls and two ground balls. McKee scored two goals and also grabbed four draw controls in the win.
New Haven will next face nationally ranked Adelphi University on Tuesday, April 9. Game time in Garden City, N.Y. is set for 7 p.m.
