Box Score DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The University of Southern Maine's women's lacrosse team scored 15 first half goals and cruised to a 19-11 victory over the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth at Cressy Field in the ultimate Little East Conference regular season contest of 2015.
The victory for Southern Maine (6-11, 3-3 Little East) secured home field advantage in the first round of the upcoming 2015 Little East Conference Championship Tournament. The fourth-seeded Huskies will play host to fifth-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University in First Round action Tuesday in Gorham. The Corsairs (2-13, 1-5) finish the campaign in sixth place, prompting a Tuesday trip to Danbury to take on third-seeded Western Connecticut State University in opening round play.
Southern Maine junior attacker Sarah Pelligrinelli (Southington, Conn.) dominated the contest, scoring a game-high nine goals, seven of which came in the first half. She also contributed an assist to lead the Huskies' offensive barrage. Her seventh goal of the afternoon elevated her to the 100 career goal plateau, earning her the game ball used to score the goal for a personal keepsake.
The Huskies wasted little time in opening an early advantage, taking an immediate 2-0 lead just two minutes, 42 seconds into the contest thanks to consecutive markers from Pelligrinelli. The Corsairs subsequently responded with a tally of their own when freshman midfielder Erin Kish (Littleton, Mass.) found the back of the net on an unassisted goal to slice the deficit in half with 23:28 remaining in the first half.
However, Pelligrinelli would reclaim control of the contest for the Huskies just 11 seconds later, scoring the first of another two consecutive tallies scored a mere 66 seconds apart. Sophomore attacker Sam Campobasso (Buxton, Maine) then widened the lead to 5-1 off a feed from Pelligrinelli with 21:24 remaining. UMass Dartmouth then responded by winning the ensuing draw out to junior attacker Colleen Kane (Arlington, Mass.), who advanced the ball 40 yards uninterrupted before depositing a goal into the lower right corner of the cage to bring the Corsairs back to within three goals.
The pendulum then quickly swung permanently back to the Huskies, who spent the half's next 17 minutes rattling off ten consecutive goals en route to an insurmountable, twelve-goal lead. Five different Huskies contributed to the surge, led by three more by Pelligrini. Junior midfielder Anh Nguyen (South Portland, Maine) scored two of her three goals and two of her five assists during the run.
Sophomore midfielders Heather Everett (Waterboro, Maine) and Lauren Lessard (Lewiston, Maine) also registered two goals apiece, and the latter would go on to score a third late in the second half. The Corsairs were able to take one back before the intermission on a goal by sophomore attacker Catrina Longo (Billerica, Mass.), making the margin 15-3 at the break.
UMass Dartmouth markedly improved in the second stanza, doubling up the Huskies by an 8-4 margin. Sophomore defender Kathryn Gibb (Georgetown, Mass.) and Kish each connected twice to lead the Corsair attack. Kish finished the day as the Corsairs' leading scorer with three goals, and Kane also concluded the game with three points on two goals and an assist.
Junior goalkeeper Caley Presby (Portland, Maine) picked up the victory in net (6-11) for the Huskies behind the strength of six saves. Freshman goalkeeper Erin LeBlanc (Walpole, Mass.) reached double digits in saves for the ninth time this season, amassing a dozen in the losing effort.
Southern Maine held firm advantages in both draw controls (22-10) and shots (37-23). UMass Dartmouth took the majority of the ground balls by a 21-16 margin. The Corsairs also converted on three of its four free position opportunities, going a perfect 3-for-3 in the second half.
UMass Dartmouth honored its lone senior, defender Sarah Kalmes (Billerica, Mass.), in a pregame ceremony at Cressy Field. Kalmes was recognized for her exemplary four-year career in which she started all 62 of her games played. The current and two-time captain serendipitously played her final home game on the 28th anniversary of her parents' wedding, both of whom were in attendance.
