Sharks Upset Women's Lacrosse in GNAC Quarterfinal 15-7
The sixth seeded Sharks of Simmons College upset the third seeded Lasers, 15-7, in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women’s lacrosse quarterfinals on Grellier Field Tuesday afternoon.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
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8 | 7 | 15 |
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6 | 1 | 7 |
Team Stats
Simmons
| Game Statistics | Simmons | Lasell |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 24 | 20 |
| Ground Balls | 23 | 15 |
| Saves | 8 | 5 |
| Clears | 18-20 | 9-20 |
| Turnovers | 17 | 22 |
| Draw Controls | 11 | 13 |
| Free Position Shots | 2-5 | 4-9 |
The Lasers conclude their 2017 campaign at 10-6, while the Sharks improve to 7-11, and will face the winner of the Norwich/Saint Joseph's Maine quarterfinal on Friday, May 5.
The Sharks' defense limited the Lasers to just a single goal in the second half, as Chyenne Yeager (Indiana, Pa.) backstopped the visitors with eight combined saves.
Taylor Yandow (Moretown, Vt.) scored four goals with one assists in the effort, with a game-high nine draw controls, bringing her season total to 88. Lasell saw single scores from Jillian Vergados (Tyngsboro, Mass.), Vanessa Pino (Methuen, Mass.) and Megan Palumbo (Southington, Conn.).
Four Sharks reached hat-trick numbers, as Ana Giarrusso (Hingham, Mass.) carried a heavy stat line of five points in three goals and two assists, with three ground balls, two draws, and three caused turnovers. Kasey Fries (Bridgewater, Mass.), Mallory Cottom (Hope, R.I.), and Elena Bragg (Belmont, Mass.) rounded out the Sharks' multi-goal efforts, while Keira Kirkaldy (Middlebury, Vt.), Kingsley Richards (Lexington, Mass.) and Missie Maiewski (Northampton, Mass.) added a single tally.
In the opening 10, both teams traded a trio of goals before Richards put the Sharks up, ultimately for good, with an unassisted marker at 14:52. Yandow cut the Sharks' lead to one at 8:40 for the 5-4 score, but Simmons would match each of the ensuing Lasell goals, never surrendering the lead to hold an 8-6 advantage heading into halftime.
Yaegar and the defense limited Lasell to just a single goal in the closing frame, who were also plagued by 14 turnovers in the stretch. Bragg and Cottom used two-goal efforts to add to Simmons' comfortable advantage, 13-7, before Fries and Kirkaldy sealed the quarterfinal victory.
Bridget Delaney (Weymouth, Mass.) and Brooke Bergeron (Lynn, Mass.) split time in net for Lasell, with Delaney suffering the loss on three saves and eight goals against.
