FRISCH TURNS ASIDE 15 SHOTS AS WOMEN’S LACROSSE FALLS TO BENTLEY, 11-10

Box Score vs. Bentley - April 2, 2009

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Apr. 2, 2009) – Senior goalie Alicia Frisch (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) made a game-high 15 saves on Thursday night, but it wasn’t enough as the Molloy College women’s lacrosse team dropped a tightly-contested 11-10 decision to Bentley College at the Dean G. Skelos Sports Complex in Rockville Centre, N.Y. With the loss, the Lions fell below .500 for the second time this season at 4-5. As for the Falcons, they have won three of four, and went to a mark of 4-5 as well.

Tied at 9-9 with seven-plus minutes remaining in regulation, Bentley registered two free-position goals in a two-minute period to go ahead 11-9 with 5:10 left. Junior attacker Erica De Silva (Dartmouth, Mass.) and junior midfielder Jaclyn Griffin (Barrington, Ill.) found the back of the cage at the 7:39 and 5:10 marks, respectively. Molloy junior attacker Rebecca LaFlare (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) cut the deficit to one with 1:28 to go, but the Lions were unable to complete the comeback and send the contest into overtime.

Trailing 4-3 with eight and a half minutes remaining in the first half, Molloy went on a four-goal burst over a time of 5:51 to grab a 7-4 margin in its favor with 2:39 left. Junior attacker Lori Sollitto (Wantagh, N.Y.) slung in the opening two goals of the run. Sophomore attacker Maria Varricchio (Massapequa, N.Y.) followed with a goal from LaFlare, who then capped it off with a tally from inside eight meters. De Silva capped the scoring for the stanza when she put a shot past Frisch with 1:46 to go. The Lions eventually headed into the break up 7-5.

Seconds into the latter half, Molloy wasted little time getting back to work. Junior midfielder Kristie Sosnowski (Massapequa, N.Y.) struck the netting just 0:32 in. Six minutes after, the Falcons were swinging momentum in their direction after tallying four unanswered goals to knot the score at 8-8. Griffin registered a goal and an assist during the run. Freshman defender/midfielder Lisa Petitto (Wakefield, Mass.) and senior midfielder Alyssa Ritchie (North Andover, Mass.) each had unassisted goals. Ritchie’s also came in the free position.

LaFlare tied for the game-best in points with four (3 G, 1 A). Sollitto finished with three goals. Sosnowski and sophomore midfielder Hayley Lacey (Levittown, N.Y.) contributed two points apiece off a goal and an assist. Sosnowski also notched nine draw controls, seven ground balls and four caused turnovers, while Lacey raked six shots (five SOG), five ground balls and one caused turnover. Senior defender Kelly LaClair (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) compiled three draws and two ground balls. In addition to her 15 saves, Frisch also got four ground balls.

For Bentley, Griffin and Ritchie each collected four points on three goals and one assist. Griffin also won three ground balls and one draw control, while Ritchie totaled two ground balls, two draws and one caused turnover. De Silva posted two tallies with three shots – all on goal. Senior attacker Kim Morris (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) totaled a goal and an assist for two points. She also picked up two ground balls. Junior midfielder Leah Leavitt (Holliston, Mass.) earned five ground balls and one draw control victory.

Overall, Molloy held a 34-29 advantage in shots and a 15-8 margin in draws. Both teams collected 15 ground balls apiece. In clear attempts, the Lions were 15-of-21 (71.4 percent). The Falcons owned a clear percentage of 61.9 (13-for-21). From inside eight meters, Molloy sported a 44.4 percent (4-of-9) success rate. On the other hand, Bentley was 5-of-10 (50.0 percent) in the free position.

Head Coach Tom Campolettano and the Lions return to the field this Wednesday when they open up the East Coast Conference portion of their schedule in Brookhaven, N.Y. against rival Dowling College. The opening draw is scheduled for 7 p.m.