Women's Lacrosse Defeat Anna Maria in Non-Conference Play

PAXTON, Mass. - The Elms College Women's Lacrosse team traveled to Anna Maria College for a non-conference game on Wednesday evening.

BASICS
Score: Elms College 9 | Anna Maria College 1
Records: Blazers 2-11, 1-8 (GNAC) | AMCats 1-10, 0-2 (MASCAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Elms opened the game with strong control at the draw, as junior midfielder Rachel Dort (Chicopee, Mass.) secured the first draw control to set the tone early. Elms immediately generated offense when sophomore attack Lily Sheridan (Ashby, Mass.) fired a shot that was turned aside, but the Blazers kept pressure on the Amcats as sophomore midfielder Viktoria Olsen (Enfield, Conn.) forced an early turnover and then scooped up the ground ball herself. Anna Maria responded with a shot opportunity, but junior goalkeeper Marisa LaRocque (Agawam, Mass.) made a big save to keep the game scoreless. After Elms earned a free position chance, Dort capitalized, burying a free position goal to give the Blazers a 1-0 lead. Dort then controlled the next draw as Elms continued to dominate possession. Anna Maria had multiple chances to answer, including a free position attempt, but LaRocque stood tall again with another key save. Elms continued to win the hustle battle with ground balls from junior defender/attack Shea Barron (Wallingford, Conn.) and senior attack Katherine Ingram (Chicopee, Mass.), while senior midfielder Jackie Cronin (Smithtown, N.Y.) forced a turnover and collected a ground ball to keep the momentum with the Blazers. Despite playing man-down at times, Elms remained composed, and Cronin delivered a massive man-down goal late in the quarter to make it 2-0. The Blazers weren't finished, as Sheridan struck on the man-up with an assist from Cronin, giving Elms a commanding 3-0 lead heading into the end of the first. Elms came out aggressive in the second quarter, with Sheridan picking up a ground ball and ripping a shot off the post early. Anna Maria tried to respond, but LaRocque continued her dominant performance, making multiple saves including another stop on a free position attempt. Elms kept generating chances as Dort tested the goalie, while Cronin grabbed another ground ball to keep Elms attacking. The defensive pressure stayed strong as graduate student defender Angelina Cellucci (Sicklerville, N.J.) caused a turnover and Elms transitioned quickly, leading to a goal from first year attack Chloe Sullivan (Hampden, Mass.) to push the lead to 4-0. Following another draw control win, Elms earned a free position and Cronin finished again, making it 5-0. The Blazers defense continued to create problems, as Cronin forced another turnover and LaRocque even contributed with a ground ball pickup after causing a turnover earlier in the half. In the final minute, Elms struck once more when Dort scored to make it 6-0, giving the Blazers a dominant halftime advantage built on draw controls, ground balls, and defensive stops.

Elms stayed in control to start the third quarter as Sheridan won the opening draw control and the Blazers continued peppering the cage. Dort created another scoring chance early, and after sustained pressure, she found the net again to make it 7-0. Cronin controlled the next draw, and after multiple saved attempts, she eventually broke through and scored to extend the lead to 8-0. Elms continued to win key ground balls, including pickups from sophomore attack Amanda Reed (Somers, Conn.), Barron, and Sheridan, while Cellucci added another caused turnover that helped Elms maintain possession. Even when Anna Maria was able to clear, LaRocque remained locked in, stopping another shot to preserve the shutout. Elms closed the quarter with more pressure and ground ball control, keeping the Amcats from gaining any rhythm. Anna Maria opened the fourth with a free position chance, but LaRocque delivered yet another huge save to deny them. The Blazers defense immediately answered with hustle plays, as senior attack MacKenzie Talavera (Manchester, Conn.) forced a turnover and picked up the ground ball herself. Talavera continued to be a key factor, collecting another ground ball as Elms kept the ball on the offensive end. Despite several saves by the Anna Maria goalie, Elms stayed relentless, and after forcing another turnover, Dort eventually finished again to make it 9-0. Anna Maria finally broke through with a man-up goal to make it 9-1, but Elms responded with more defensive pressure. Dort forced a turnover and Reed scooped up the ground ball, keeping momentum with the Blazers. Elms continued to generate shot after shot late, controlling ground balls and possession through players like Reed, Talavera, Sheridan, and Cronin. LaRocque capped her strong day with one final save as time expired, securing a 9-1 victory for the Blazers.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Dort would score four goals, with 11 shots, three ground balls, two draw controls, and two caused turnovers.

• Cronin would record three goals, with 11 shots, an assist, four ground balls, three draw controls, and four caused turnovers.

• LaRocque would make 12 saves of the 13 shots she faced, with two ground balls and a caused turnover.

• Sheridan would add a goal, with nine shots, four ground balls, and two draw controls.

• Sullivan would score a goal.

• Talavera would take a shot, with four ground balls, and cause a turnover.

• Reed would take a shot, with three ground balls

• Barron three ground balls.

• Olsen would add four caused turnovers and a ground ball.

• Cellucci would make three ground balls and two caused turnovers.

• Maffuccio record three ground balls and a caused turnover

• Ingram would make two ground balls and cause a turnover.

UP NEXT: The Elms College Women's Lacrosse team will return to Leary Field on Saturday, April 11th when they host Lasell University in a conference matchup for their annual Senior Day at 12 pm.

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