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Niagara University Athletics

Morales
5
St. Bonaventure SBU 0-2
18
Winner Niagara NIA 1-0
St. Bonaventure SBU
0-2
5
Final
18
Niagara NIA
1-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
St. Bonaventure SBU 3 2 5
Niagara NIA 10 8 18

Game Recap: Women's Lacrosse |

Lacrosse Routs St. Bonaventure 18-5 In Season Opener

NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Niagara Purple Eagles lacrosse team kicked off the 2017 season in commanding fashion, routing the St. Bonaventure Bonnies 18-5 Monday afternoon at Niagara Field. Niagara scored its most goals since an 18-12 win over Manhattan on Apr. 18, 2015, and had its largest margin of victory since a 23-5 win over Howard back on March 8, 2009.
 
Nine different players scored a goal for the Purple Eagles, with Alexis Morales (five) and Rachel MacCheyne (four) leading the way. Grace Hunt led all scorers with two goals and four assists. Defensively, Niagara scooped 26 ground balls, caused 18 turnovers, and won 16 of 24 draws. Senior goaltender Andrea Francisco made seven saves while allowing just four goals in 53:10 between the pipes.
 
Game Summary  
Game Recap
  • St. Bonaventure opened the game with a 2-1 lead as the Purple Eagles and Bonnies traded free-position goals through the first five minutes. Alexis Morales then scored a pair of free-position tallies to give Niagara the advantage for good, leading 3-2 with 19:20 left in the first period.
  • Morales' pair sparked an 8-0 run for Niagara over a span of 21 minutes in the middle of the first half. Rachel MacCheyne scored a pair of goals to make it 5-2 at the 12:05 mark before Samantha Brill and Hannah Vause each picked up their first goals of the season.
  • Grace Hunt set up MacCheyne for her third of the afternoon with 3:47 left until halftime, and MacCheyne returned the favor off the ensuing draw, finding Hunt for Niagara's ninth goal just 15 seconds later. The Bonnies' Rachel Perla made it 9-3 before Hailey D'Hont fed Alexis Morales for her third goal of the first half.
  • After allowing goals on her first two shots faced from the 8-meter line, goalkeeper Andrea Francisco made five saves, including a pair of free-position stops, throughout the first half.
  • The Purple Eagles limited the Bonnies to just two goals after halftime while racking up eight more of their own. Hunt and D'Hont scored in the first 10 minutes of the half before Madison Appel responded for St. Bonaventure, making it a 12-4 game.
  • Niagara went 15 minutes without giving up a goal from that point, adding five more tallies from five different scorers in MacCheyne, Morales, Alexandra Leo, Jillian Ford, and Audrey Fithall.
  • Perla added her second of the game off a free-position with 2:26 to play, but Morales scored her fifth goal of the afternoon as time expired, giving Niagara a 13-goal victory by a score of 18-5.
 
Coach's Corner
  • Head coach Wendy Stone: "We couldn't be happier with the way we started the season today.  We were able to set the tempo of the game right from the start, and finished well on both ends of the field.  We need to clean things up on both ends of the field, and will work to improve as we head into our next match up with Colgate."
 
Inside the Numbers
  • Niagara's 18 goals were the most since an 18-12 home win over Manhattan on Apr. 18, 2015, and the 13-goal margin of victory was the most since Niagara trounced Howard 23-5 on March 8, 2009.
  • Grace Hunt led the way offensively with a career-high six points, scoring two goals and four assists. Hunt's four-assist game was the third in the MAAC this season, tied for the conference's single-game high.
  • Nine different players scored a goal for Niagara. Alexis Morales, who finished second on Niagara with 24 goals as a freshman, led the way with five against St. Bonaventure.
  • Rachel MacCheyne scored four goals and added one assist. MacCheyne also had a team-high 11 shots and tied Morales for the team lead with seven shots on goal. The 11 shots by MacCheyne are tied for the most by any MAAC player in one game this season.
  • At the defensive end, Preseason All-MAAC honoree Alexandra Higgins opened her junior campaign with four ground balls, four caused turnovers, and four draw controls. Kara Martin had three ground balls and two caused turnovers, and Amy McNally had three ground balls and one caused turnover.
  • In addition to scoring two goals and one assist, midfielder Jillian Ford tallied two ground balls, four draw controls, and three caused turnovers.
  • The Purple Eagles held advantages over St. Bonaventure in shots (37-18), ground balls (26-19), and draw controls (16-8). Niagara forced 11 failed clears by the Bonnies who finished the game 12-23, while the Purple Eagles were 13-16 in that category.
 
Up Next
  • The Purple Eagles return to Niagara Field on Tuesday, Feb. 28 to host the Colgate Raiders in a 3 p.m. matchup.
 
Stay connected with the Purple Eagles through social media. Follow Niagara Athletics on Twitter @NUPurpleEagles and for lacrosse updates, follow Niagara women's lacrosse on Twitter and Instagram. Check in with the Purple Eagles on Facebook.com/PurpleEagles and on Instagram @NUPurpleEagles.
 
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