Press Release

STONEHILL PULLS AWAY LATE, DOWNS PURPLE KNIGHT WOMEN, 12-4 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                              FOR MORE INFORMATION April 24, 2004                                                                                    Contact: Seth Cole                                                                                                         Phone: (802) 654-2537 COLCHESTER, Vt. – Fourth-ranked and defending national champion Stonehill College tallied the final seven goals to break open a close game and defeat Saint Michael’s College, 12-4, in Northeast-10 Conference women’s lacrosse action on Saturday at Doc Jacobs Field. Sophomore Erin Acone (Bow, N.H.) scored five goals, four in the second half, to lead the Chieftains, while junior Colby Confer (Madison, Conn.) added two goals. Junior Colette Carpenter (Massapequa, N.Y.) and sophomore Jenny McGrath (Milton, Mass.) chipped in a goal and two assists apiece as Stonehill (11-3, 9-0 NE-10) won its 37th consecutive league contest and clinched a tie of its sixth straight regular season championship. For the Purple Knights, sophomore Noreen Russo (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) and freshmen Kendra LaFauci (No. Andover, Mass./North Andover), Kristen Palazzo (Armonk, N.Y./Byram Hills) and Megan Rule (Bow, N.H./Bow) each scored. Junior Jess Anderson (Springfield, Vt./Springfield) stopped a season-high 21 shots for Saint Michael’s (8-6, 7-2), which was without second-leading scorer Kate Hallisey (W. Roxbury, Mass./Brookline). Saint Michael’s stayed close throughout the first half, as LaFauci’s unassisted tally with 2:29 left in the period pulled the hosts within 4-3 at the break. After a Stonehill goal early in the second half, Rule scored just 24 seconds later to again pull the Purple Knights within one at 5-4. The score remained 5-4 for nearly 13 minutes until junior Brenna Newfell (No. Billerica, Mass.) found the back of the net with 13:13 left in the contest. That began a stretch of five Stonehill goals in a 3:11 span, as the Chieftains scored on five consecutive possessions to put the game away. Saint Michael’s plays its final regular season contest on Sunday as the Purple Knights host Bryant College at 1 p.m. The winner of Sunday’s finale earns the No. 2 seed in the NE-10 playoffs and a first-round bye, while the loser will host a quarterfinal contest on Wednesday. GAME SUMMARY Stonehill                        4          8          -12 Saint Michael’s              3          1          -4 Saint Michael’s scoring (goals-assists): Kendra LaFauci 1-0, Kristen Palazzo 1-0, Megan Rule 1-0, Noreen Russo 1-0 Stonehill scoring (goals-assists): Erin Acone 5-0, Colby Confer 2-0, Colette Carpenter 1-2, Jenny McGrath 1-2, Courtney Duggan 1-1, Tracey Hoffman 1-1, Brenna Newfell 1-0. Saves: SMC, Jess Anderson (21 saves); STO, Lauren Stone (11 saves).  ###PURPLEKNIGHTS###

For more information please contact the SMC Sports Information Office at (802) 654-2537
Last Revised: October 25, 2002