Women's Lacrose Opens Season With 14-11 Comeback Win Over Manhattanville

Purchase, NY --- Freshman Kalia Chase (Northbridge, MA) finished with a game-best five goals - including three in the second half - as Worcester State opened the season with a 14-11 comeback triumph over Manhattanville this afternoon at GoValiants.com Field.

The Valiants (1-6) played consistent in the opening 30 minutes as senior Melissa Goncalves (Holtsville, NY) started the scoring with two goals in less than 25 seconds to give Manhattanville an early lead. 

Over the next 20 minutes, the two teams traded goals for the next 20 minutes as the home team remained on top.
 
After Chase scored her first of the game to make it 6-5 Valiants, Manhattanville scored four straight times – twice by junior Casandra Honovich (Cortlandt Manor, NY) and once each by Goncalves and sophomore Saba Naji (Cortlandt Manor, NY) – to give the squad a 9-4 lead with 36 seconds left in the half.

But Worcester State took some of that momentum back with a last-second goal, as Chase scored again with seven ticks left to make it a 9-5 game at the half.
 
Goncalves seemed to calm that momentum with her fourth of the game 2:18 into the second half, but the Manhattanville offense struggled after that and the host back line failed to contain the Worcester State offensive attack.

The Lancers outscored Manhattanville 9-2 in the second half of play, getting three goals from first-year Marissa Irwin (Billerica, MA) and Chase and two more from sophomore Molly Kilday (Westford, MA).

The visitors also receiving some big stops on the other end by senior goaltender Alex Chisholm (Brookfield, MA), who made five saves in the second stanza.
 
Four straight Worcester State goals made it a 10-9 Valiant lead with 17:44 to go, but Honovich responded 19 seconds after a Kilday score to make it an 11-9 game with 17:25 left.

However, the Lancers controlled four straight draws and converted them all into goals to take a 13-11 lead, and second-year Jaclyn Lawlor (Westford, MA) added another tally with 11:02 left to give the visitors a 14-11 edge.
 
Manhattanville had a few chances on goal after Lawlor's score, but Worcester State gained possession with 9:49 left on the clock and did not give up the ball until there was less than 10 seconds remaining on the clock, as the Lancers stalled their way through the rest of the game to secure the win.

Kilday chipped in with four tallies and Irwin added with three. Lawlor also had four points on two goals and two assists while freshman Jackie Connors (Ashland, MA) posted a game-best five ground balls, four caused turnovers and a team-leading three helpers.
 
For Manhattanville, Goncalves led all players with six points, scoring four times to move into a tie for sixth place on the school's all-time list and adding a pair of assists.

Honovich scored four times and Naji notched two goals for the Valiants as well.

Worcester State finished the game with a 27-24 edge in shots while also holding slight advantages in ground balls (19-17) and draw controls (14-13).

Chisholm played a big role in her team's comeback, making five of her seven saves in the second half, while sophomore Kirsten Shaughnessy (Le Center, MI) suffered the loss for the Valiants despite making eight saves.

Worcester State continues its trip to New York and New Jersey on Sunday on 12 PM against Centenary while Manhattanville will return to action next Friday, as the Valiants travel to play Curry at 6 PM.

Major Portions of Release Courtesy of Manhatanville College Sports Information