LORETTO, Pa. (March 29, 2025) – Junior Abby Hanifin (Stony Point, N.Y.) netted a career-high five goals, and classmate Natalie Coutu (Brookline, N.H.) scored four times to lead the Stonehill College women's lacrosse team to a 14-11 win at DeGol Field over Saint Francis University in Northeast Conference play. With Saturday's win, the Skyhawks improved to 6-5 overall and a perfect 4-0 in conference play.
 
Highlights

• Stonehill's 4-0 start to league play is its best in Division I program history and the best start since the Skyhawks started 4-0 in NE10 play in 2022.
• Hanifin had four points with one goal and three assists on the season coming into Saturday's game before leading the Skyhawks with a career-high six points on five goals and one assist.
• Coutu had another dominant performance for the Skyhawks, recording her fifth multi-goal game of the season while putting up a season-best two assists. Her four goals put her at 27 on the year, the second-most on the team.
• Sophomore Nina Tremonte (Brookfield, Conn.) improved to 5-5 in net this season, making seven saves in the win.
• Freshman Val Beigel (Foxborough, Mass.) recorded a career-high two assists and also scored her fifth goal of the season.
• Freshman Meaghan Fealy (Greenlawn, N.Y.) had two goals on two shot attempts as she becomes the fifth Skyhawk with 10+ goals this season.
• Junior Lauren Molinaro (Miller Place, N.Y.) recorded a season-best five ground balls, while senior Mallory Crispens (Wallingford, Conn.) had an impressive defensive showing with three ground balls and two caused turnovers to lead the Skyhawks.
• Freshman Maia Parker (Danville, N.H.) led Stonehill with a career-high five draw controls to go with a caused turnover and a ground ball.

How it Happened
Junior Gabriella Parisi (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) opened the scoring 54 seconds into the game on an assist from Beigel but the Red Flash responded with back-to-back goals to take a 2-1 lead at 11:27. Stonehill tied it up at 2-2 when Coutu converted on a free position shot but Saint Francis scored two more goals to increase its lead, 4-2. Each team scored one more time in the first quarter as the Red Flash led 5-3 after 15 minutes of action.
 
Hanifin scored her second goal of the game just 37 seconds into the second quarter before tying it up, 5-5, at 11:47 with her third goal of the game on an assist from Coutu. The Red Flash broke the tie nine seconds later but the Skyhawks responded with goals from Coutu and Beigel as they took their first lead of the quarter, 7-6, with 6:35 remaining until halftime. Saint Francis tied it at 7-7 but a goal from Fealy followed by a goal from Coutu with eight seconds left in the half had Stonehill in front 9-7 at the break.
 
Fealy gave Stonehill a three-goal lead, 11-8, with 7:30 left in the third but Saint Francis scored twice in 32 seconds to make it 11-10 with 4:47 on the clock. Coutu netted a free position shot to keep Stonehill in front by two, 12-10, and both teams went scoreless for the final 4:10 of the third as the Skyhawks hung on to their two-goal lead.
 
Saint Francis netted a free position shot to open the fourth quarter scoring at 11:26, but Stonehill's defense tightened up as that was the only Red Flash goal of the final frame. Freshman Jennaveve Koch (Groton, Mass.) added an insurance goal, the fourth of her career, and Hanifin finished off her career day with a free position goal with under a minute to play to secure the 14-11 win for the Skyhawks. Tremonte had two saves in the fourth.
 
Up Next
Stonehill women's lacrosse (6-5, 4-0 NEC) continues NEC play on Friday, April 4, at 4 p.m. when the Skyhawks host Howard University at W.B. Mason Stadium in Easton, Mass.
 
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