EASTON, Mass. (May 1, 2025) – The Stonehill College women's lacrosse team secured a spot in the Northeast Conference (NEC) Championship game for the first time in program history after defeating the No. 4 seed Saint Francis University, 11-9, at WB Mason Stadium Thursday night. With the win, the Skyhawks improved to 11-6 on the season, while the Red Flash wrapped up their campaign with an overall mark of 7-10.
 
Highlights

• Stonehill's win over Saint Francis secured its first-ever appearance in the NEC Championship game in just the Skyhawks' second year of eligibility for the league's postseason tournament.
• Stonehill last competed in a conference championship game in 2022, when the Skyhawks defeated Le Moyne College 13-12 in overtime to clinch the NE10 Championship title.
• Junior Emily LaPia led the Skyhawks with four goals, including the game-winning tally, marking her second career game-winner and first of the season.  
• Junior Grace Murphy registered her ninth hat trick while adding her 10th assist of the season to help pace the Stonehill offensive output.
• Senior Sofia D'Agostino and junior Natalie Coutu each tallied two points throughout the game. D'Agostino scored a pair of goals, while Coutu dished out two assists in just the first quarter.
• Senior Emersyn Kelter and junior Julia Kogan led the Skyhawks' defensive effort. Kelter secured a pair of ground balls and caused turnovers, while Kogan posted five draw controls to lead Stonehill in the midfield.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Nina Tremonte posted 10 saves in earning her ninth win. Tremonte's 10 saves against the Red Flash marked her sixth double-digit save outing of the campaign.   
• Junior Brooke Lacey fueled the Saint Francis attack, scoring three goals and adding one helper throughout the Semifinal matchup.
• Senior Victoria DiRenno tallied a game-high eight draw controls for the Red Flash, while first-year student Samantha Hewitt and junior Julia Givens each scored two goals.
• Senior goalkeeper Taylor Coughlin posted eight saves inside the cage for Saint Francis.

 
How it Happened
Stonehill jumped out to the first lead of the game just over three minutes into the opening quarter when D'Agostino netted her first and seventh of the season off an assist from Coutu. Five minutes later, Saint Francis evened the score when Hewitt scored her 27th goal of the season. After both sides traded the first two goals of the semifinal matchup, LaPia tacked two goals on the board for the Skyhawks, giving Stonehill a 3-1 lead heading into the second quarter.
 
A back-and-forth start to the second saw Stonehill edge Saint Francis 2-1 in shot attempts over the first five minutes of the frame. Stifling defense from the Skyhawks would force a shot clock violation turnover for the Red Flash at the 10:00 mark of the quarter, allowing Stonehill to go on the attack and extend their lead to three with LaPia's third consecutive goal for the Skyhawks.
 
Two straight free-position goals from junior Abby Hanifin and Murphy, followed by a second goal of the first half from D'Agostino throughout the remainder of the second, sent the Skyhawks into the break with a commanding 7-1 lead over Saint Francis.
 
The Red Flash came out of the gates strong to start the second half of action, scoring four of the first five goals and outscoring the Skyhawks 4-2 throughout the entirety of the third quarter. Propelling the Saint Francis rally that cut its deficit to four by the end of the third were two goals from Lacey and respective tallies from Givens and senior Christina Roncarati. Finding the back of the net in the third for the Skyhawks were first-year student Meaghan Fealy and Murphy on a free-position attempt with 1:41 left in the frame.
 
LaPia capped off her four-goal game and scored what would eventually prove to be the game-winning goal just 39 seconds into the fourth quarter. Despite being outscored 4-1 down the stretch of the final 15 minutes of regulation, Tremonte would come up with a pair of clutch saves late in the fourth to help gain possession for Stonehill and hold on for the narrow 11-9 victory over Saint Francis, securing a spot in the NEC Championship game for the first time in program history.
 
Up Next
Stonehill (11-6, 8-1 NEC) will host the NEC Championship game against Long Island University on Saturday, May 3. Opening draw control between the Skyhawks and Sharks from WB Mason Stadium in Easton, Massachusetts is set for 6:30 PM and will be streamed on ESPN+ and NEC Front Row. To purchase tickets, visit stonehillskyhawks.com/tickets. 
 
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