Women's Lacrosse Falls to Saint Mary's

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

HILTON HEAD, S.C. – The Elms College women's lacrosse team was defeated by Saint Mary's College (Ind.) in a non-conference matchup in South Carolina Tuesday afternoon. The Blazers move to 1-1 on the season, while Saint Mary's improves to 1-1.

The teams traded goals to open play with tallies from sophomore Clare Theisen (Downers Grove, Ill.) and Elms freshman Vanessa Vurno (Salem, Conn.), until the Saints grabbed a 3-1 lead on back-to-back strikes from Theisen. The Blazers cut the deficit to 4-2 at the 23:25 mark of the first half behind a goal from sophomore Jackie Soucia (Belchertown, Mass.). Saint Mary's roared to an 8-2 lead behind three straight goals from freshman Kate Kelly (Orland Park, Ill.). Elms got back on the scoreboard with a goal from senior Jillian Pirog (Ludlow, Mass.) with 5:57 remaining in the first half. Kelly closed out the frame with her fourth goal in the final minutes to send Saint Mary's into the intermission with a 9-3 advantage.

The Saints kicked off the second half with four unanswered tallies, featuring a pair from freshman Molly Stout (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) to extend their lead to 13-3. The Blazers chipped away at the Saints lead with four straight goals, fueled by a two-goal each from Vurno and Soucia. Kelly netted her fifth goal of the contest with 2:38 remaining to give Saint Mary's a 14-7 lead. Pirog delivered the Blazers final goal in the 57^th minute of play, as the Saints captured the 15-8 win.

Vurno led the Blazers with five points on three goals and two assists. Soucia recorded three goals, while Pirog added a pair of goals. Sophomore Victoria-Lynn Smith (Somers, Conn.) dished out three assists for Elms.

The Blazers will be back in action in Hilton Head against Cazenovia Thursday afternoon at 11:00 a.m.

ELMS LACROSSE