WELLESLEY, Mass. – Wellesley College lacrosse led after one quarter but came up short in a 16-8 NEWMAC setback to Salve Regina University at Butler Stadium on Saturday.
Junior Alix Madden (Plymouth, Mass.) and sophomore Madison Maire (East Moriches, N.Y.) were the leading scorers for the Seahawks (5-4 Overall, 2-2 NEWMAC), with five goals apiece. Madden led the unit with five draw controls. Sophomore keeper Mary Flynn Kayajan (Hyannis, Mass.) stopped seven shots in the winning effort.
The Blue (3-6 Overall, 1-3 NEWMAC) were led by a hat-trick from sophomore Charlotte Petersen-Kopman (St. Louis, Mo.). Senior keeper Anna Blake Patrick (Portland, Ore.) became just the ninth athlete in Blue history to reach 300 saves, adding three to the career total. Sophomore Elaina Brookhart (Mystic, Conn.) also prevented a shot from going in. Classmate Amelia Woodard (Montpellier, Vt.) tallied two goals and won a team-best five draw controls. Sophomore Navaal Malik (Seattle, Wash.) caused three turnovers while collecting four ground balls.
Wellesley led 2-0 after 10 minutes of play with Petersen-Kopman and sophomore Merin Shell (Upper Arlington, Ohio) each finding the net. A late quarter goal from junior Daniella Bruno (Niantic, Conn.) put Salve Regina on the board.
The Seahawks took the lead at 3-2 in the second period with goals by first-years Teagan McDonald (Florence, Mass.) and Avery Nistl (South Hamilton, Mass.). The Blue knotted it back up at 3-3 when Woodard connected a shot set up by a pass from first-year Eliza Wysong (Kansas City, Mo.). Madden sent Salve Regina into halftime with a 4-3 advantage by scoring with just 92 seconds remaining in the first half.
The visitors scored the first five goals of the second half in an offensive barrage. During the stretch, Maire scored a hat-trick. Petersen-Kopman converted a free-position shot late in the frame and the Blue trailed 9-4 with 15 minutes left in the game.
After Seahawks sophomore Nora Cooney (Portsmouth, R.I.) made it 10-4, Wellesley chipped away with a pair of scores by first-year Milica Simic (Park Ridge, Ill.) and Petersen-Kopman. Four was the closest the Blue got, with Madden and Maire scoring three in a row to put the game out of reach at 14-7. Wysong scored late for the Blue while Madden and Cooney put the finishing touches on for the Seahawks.
Wellesley stays home on Wednesday, April 1 to welcome Wheaton College for a 7:00 PM conference tilt. Salve Regina heads to Smith College for a 6:00 PM game the same day.
