Rudden matched a program record with eight assists, finishing with ten points to lead the Skyhawks (PHOTO BY Jan Volk/SportsPix)

Rudden matches single-game assist record, Conway erupts for career-bests

ROCKVILLE CENTER, N.Y. (February 27, 2022) – Junior Lydia Rudden dished out a program-record matching eight assists on her way to a career-high ten-point day to lead Stonehill College to a season-opening 20-14 triumph over Molloy College in a non-conference women's lacrosse matchup at John A. Darcy Field this afternoon.

Rudden's eight assists match Stonehill's single-game record set by Michelle Kelly, '09 against Southern Connecticut State University on March 19, 2009. Her ten points for the day mark just the 13^th double-digit point output in program history – three shy of the program mark set by Melissa Gross, '03 Against Saint Anselm College on April 6, 2003.

Junior Kayla Conway erupted for a career-high six goals, matching her career-best with two assists, to finish with a career-high eight points on the afternoon. She previously netted two assists against Saint Thomas Aquinas College as a freshman when she had her previous career-high of two goals and four points prior to today. Senior preseason All-American Emma Sullivan filled the boxscore with five goals, 11 draw controls, six ground balls and three caused turnovers for the Skyhawks. 

Scoring

Stonehill
Goals: Kayla Conway 6, Emma Sullivan 5, Molly Mae Hughes 3, Lydia Rudden 2, Kendall Fressle, Caroline Davey, Julia D'Agostino, Lilly Leach.
Assists: Lydia Rudden 8, Kendall Fressle 2, Kayla Conway 2, Molly Mae Hughes. 

Molloy
Goals: Hailey Dazzo 5, Abbie Bellport 2, Alexa Amorison 2, Haille Ross, Megan Schiaffo, Joanna Mauceri, Sofia Quitoni, Amanda Weber.
Assists: Megan Schiaffo 3, Haille Ross, Abbie Bellport, Joanna Mauceri, Alexa Amorison, Amanda Weber. 

Goalkeeping
Stonehill: Sarah Faley – 5 saves (45:00); Claire Smith – 1 save (15:00).
Molloy: Mary-Kate Sweeney – 6 saves (60:00) 

More Leaders
Stonehill
Caused Turnovers: Emma Sullivan 3
Draw Controls: Emma Sullivan 11
Ground Balls: Emma Sullivan 6

Molloy
Caused Turnovers: Ryan Smith 4
Draw Controls: Abbie Bellport 11
Ground Balls: Ryan Smith 7

Conway recorded career-highs of six goals and eight points to fuel the Skyhawks win (PHOTO BY Jan Volk/SportsPix)

How it Happened

• Stonehill scored four-straight goals from four different players in the final 8:49 of the first quarter to break a two-all deadlock on its way to the win. Sullivan and Conway each scored a pair of goals in the opening quarter, with Sullivan's second pushing the Skyhawks in the lead for good with 8:49 remaining, while Rudden tallied a goal and two assists in the opening 15-minutes.
• Stonehill extended its lead to five goals (8-3) 3:10 into the second quarter after back-to-back Conway goals, both assisted by Rudden.
• Molloy pulled back within three (9-6) after a goal from sophomore Hailey Dazzo with 5:37 remaining in the first half, but Sullivan scored back-to-back goals within 68-seconds to restore a five-goal lead with 1:13 to play in the half.
• Junior Haille Ross capped the first half scoring with 18-seconds left and the Lions were back within four (12-8) after a Dazzo marker 1:48 into the second half.
• Rudden had a hand in two of the next three goals that pushed Stonehill's lead to seven (15-8) after she scored with 9:37-remaining in the third quarter.
• Stonehill took a six-point lead (16-10) into the fourth quarter after freshman Caroline Davey scored her first career goal with 1:34 left in the third.
• Stonehill scored three of the first four goals of the fourth quarter to open an eight-point lead (19-11) after Conway fed senior Kendall Fressle for her first goal of the season with 6:42 to play and the Skyhawks closed the game out from there.
• Rudden's record-matching assist came on Sullivan's fifth goal of the afternoon with 13-seconds left after Molloy had strung three goals together to pull back within five with 2:29 to play.

Noteworthy

• Sullivan matched her career-high for goals in a game for the second time, matching her career-best for draw controls and ground balls as well.
• Sophomore Lilly Leach joined Davey in scoring her first collegiate goal.
• Fressle dished out multiple assists (2) for the first time in her career.
• Freshman Sarah Faley and sophomore Claire Smith both made their collegiate debuts in goal for Stonehill. Faley got the start in her first collegiate game and posted five saves in 45-minutes of play to earn the win, while Smith stopped one shot in the fourth quarter in her debut.

Up Next

Stonehill (1-0, 0-0 NE10) is back in action next Monday, March 7, when it visits Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, for another non-conference matchup at 11 a.m. The Skyhawks home opener is scheduled for Saturday, March 19, against nationally-ranked Le Moyne College for a Northeast-10 Conference contest at 1 p.m. Molloy (2-2, 0-0 ECC) hosts Caldwell College on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

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