March 29, 2008

Box Score

BABSON PARK, Mass. - Host Babson College closed the first half with an 8-1 run to pull away from visiting Smith College en route to a 20-10 victory over the Pioneers in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's lacrosse contest at MacDowell Field on Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Beavers, ranked seventh in the country by the IWLCA, improved to 7-1 overall and 1-0 in the conference, while Smith fell to 0-4 overall and 0-1 in the NEWMAC.

Babson opened the contest with four straight goals, including a pair of by first-year Sam Sulliman (Rye, N.Y.), to jump out to an early 4-0 advantage just four minutes into the game. However, the Pioneers refused to go quietly, outscoring the Beavers by a 4-3 count over the next 13 minutes to cut their deficit to 7-4. Four different players scored for Smith during that stretch, with senior Sara Smyth (Brooklyn, N.Y.) contributing both a goal and an assist.

The rest of the first half belonged to Babson, which scored eight of the next nine goals to head into the break armed with a 15-5 advantage. Sophomore Anna Collins (Winchester, Mass.) and junior Lindsay Bucci (Medford, Mass.) each struck twice during the run, with Bucci becoming just the ninth player in program history to score 100 career goals with her first tally with 3:41 remaining in the session. The Pioneers would play well but never threaten in the second half as Babson held on for the 20-10 win.

Collins led all players with six goals and two assists for eight points, while senior tri-captain Anita Martignetti (Winchester, Mass.) and sophomore Kaitlyn Pettengill (Hopkinton, Mass.) each chipped in with three goals for the Beavers. Bucci and junior Jackie Godfrey (Franklin, Mass.) finished with two goals and one assist each, while Godfrey also contributed team-highs of five groundballs and five draw controls. First-year Sarah Macary (Woodbury, Conn.), rookie Rebecca Foley (New City, N.Y.), and sophomore Laura Bronner (Greenwich, Conn.) all saw time in net for Babson, combining for eight saves.

Smith was paced by Smyth, who finished with three goals and two assists for five points, and first-year Caitlin Kennedy (South Hadley, Mass.), who added three goals, three groundballs, and three draws. Senior Sara Smith (Brooklyn, N.Y.) went the distance in net for the Pioneers, stopping 13 shots.