NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (March 26, 2025) – Seven different goal scorers led the Stonehill College women's lacrosse team to an 11-7 victory on the road over Northeast Conference (NEC) foe Central Connecticut State University Wednesday afternoon. With the win, the Skyhawks improved to an even 5-5 overall and a perfect 3-0 in conference play, while the Blue Devils fell to 0-9 overall and 0-3 against conference opponents.
 
Highlights

• Stonehill's win marked its first 3-0 start to its conference slate in Division I program history and first overall since the 2022 campaign.
• Junior Emily LaPia paved the way for the Skyhawks' offensive output, recording her third overall and second consecutive hat trick.
• First-year classmates Caitlin Ruggeiro and Val Beigel each registered their first career two goal games.
• Junior Julia Kogan tallied the second goal of her collegiate career and first as a Skyhawk, while junior Natalie Coutu, sophomore Cameron Flaherty, and first-year student Maia Parker each added goals of their own for Stonehill.
• Senior goalkeeper Sarah Faley made her second appearance of the season and picked up the win after tallying six saves and five ground balls on the day.
• Junior Skye Gaudio led the Blue Devils offensively, scoring three goals on the afternoon.
• Senior Mikayla Lecci, junior Abbey Cannon, and sophomore Makayla Winegar added multi-point games for CCSU, respectively.
• Senior Alexa Efron rounded out the goal scorers for the Blue Devils, while first-year goalkeeper Maeve Tobler posted a career-high 14 saves.

How it Happened
After a slow start to the conference matchup, which saw eight minutes of scoreless play, Stonehill struck first with 7:01 remaining in the opening quarter. On a free-position attempt, Beigel scored her first of two goals in the period. Less than two minutes later, LaPia extended the Skyhawks' lead with her 17th goal of the season. Beigel would then cap her two-goal performance with 3:39 left in the first quarter, giving Stonehill a three-goal advantage heading into the second.
 
The Skyhawks carried their momentum into the second quarter, as LaPia netted her second goal of the afternoon just 35 seconds into the frame. However, CCSU quickly responded, with Lecci scoring her first goal of the season less than 30 seconds later. Stonehill continued to dominate offensively, adding three more goals from Ruggeiro, LaPia, and Flaherty, respectively, to take a commanding 7-1 lead into halftime.
 
CCSU came out strong in the third quarter, scoring the first three goals to trim the Stonehill lead to just three with 4:26 remaining. The Skyhawks responded with two quick goals of their own, as Coutu registered her lone goal of the day and first-year Neave Bowman connected with Ruggeiro in the final seconds of the quarter, restoring Stonehill's five-goal advantage.
 
The Blue Devils opened the fourth quarter with two goals in rapid succession, narrowing the gap to three. However, Stonehill would not let CCSU get any closer. Parker and Kogan each added goals in quick succession—Parker's second of the season and Kogan's first—sealing the Skyhawks' 11-7 victory.
 
Up Next
Stonehill (5-5, 3-0 NEC) continues its road trip on Saturday, traveling to Loretto, Pennsylvania to matchup against NEC foe Saint Francis University. Opening draw control between the Skyhawks and Red Flash is set for 1 PM.  
 
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