WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The No. 8 University of New Haven women’s lacrosse team held visiting Molloy scoreless in the second half – while posting eight goals of its own after the intermission – to break open a one-goal halftime lead and roll to a 13-4 victory on Thursday afternoon on Kayo Field. Natalie Lieberman (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport South Manor) led the offense with four goals and an assist.

The Chargers (1-0) picked up their sixth straight win in a season opener and emerged victorious in their home opener for the third consecutive season. Molloy dropped to 1-4 with the loss.

In addition to her five points, Lieberman registered a game-high five draw controls. Nicole McKee (Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur) posted a hat trick and three draw controls and fueled the defense with five caused turnovers. Courtney Ackland (Perth, Western Australia/Churchlands) netted two goals and an assist in her collegiate debut, while Marissa Fisher (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) scored a pair as well. Kristina Curry (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow) and Kathryn Campbell (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield) rounded out the offense with one goal apiece.

Alyssa Gianotti (Monkton, Md./Hereford) got the start in goal in her collegiate debut and turned away seven of the 11 shots that she faced.

New Haven outshot the Lions by a count of 31-14 overall and 25-11 in shots on goal. In the midfield, the Chargers posted a 12-7 advantage in draw controls and were successful in 15 of 18 clear attempts compared to nine clears in 18 tries for Molloy.

Curry started the scoring with a goal at the 23:18 mark of the first half, but the Lions tied it up less than four minutes later on a Christie Roell tally. New Haven responded with three goals in a span of 1:40 by Ackland, Lieberman and Campbell to claim a 4-1 lead that it would not relinquish. Lieberman added a goal at the 14:53 mark as the Chargers headed to the locker room with a 5-4 advantage.

The first goal after the break went to Fisher at 27:26 and started an 8-0 second half in favor of the home team. The shutout performance following the intermission was highlighted by two goals in a span of 19 seconds from Lieberman as the Chargers cruised to a 13-4 victory.

Kaitlynn Kelly led the Molloy offense with a hat trick, while Caroline Winters went the distance for the Lions and made 12 saves in net.