FINAL STATS

Staten Island, NY – Freshman midfielder Carolyn Clark (Syracuse, NY/ Westhill) slammed home three of her game-high four goals during a decisive 7-0 second-half run that carried the Wagner College women's lacrosse team to a stirring 11-8 come-from-behind win over Bryant.

In recording their first win under first-year head coach Cristina Curiale, a former assistant and All-BIG EAST player at Rutgers, the Seahawks improve to 1-3 on the season. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, saw their record fall to 0-4.

For a long while, it appeared that it would be Bryant who would walk away with its initial win of the season, as the Bulldogs overcame an early 3-0 deficit to forge an 8-4 lead two minutes into the second half on an unassisted goal by Allison Failoa.

Clark started the game-winning seven-goal rally with a tally on a free position shot with 16:43 left in the game that sliced the deficit to 8-5. Just over two minutes later, the Seahawks drew to within 8-6 on a goal by senior midfielder Cara Gonzalez (Syracuse, NY/ Westhill), who received a pretty feed from freshman midfielder Melanie Garces (San Diego, CA/ Westview).

Clark kept the momentum going with a score at 11:08 off an assist from senior attack Kelly Blundin (Plymouth Meeting, PA/ Plymouth-Whitemarsh) that made it a one-goal game at 8-7. Garces then nailed the equalizer on a free position shot with 8:38 to play. With 5:35 remaining, Clark sent home what would prove to be the game-winning goal, an unassisted score that made it 9-8. Gonzalez and Garces would round out the scoring with a goal apiece in the final 3:46 as the Seahawks won going away.

Garces, who had a three-goal game last week vs. Saint Joseph's, finished with two goals and one assist while Gonzalez and senior attack Jessica Richmond (Jenkintown, PA/ Jenkintown) added two goals each. Sophomore attack Dana Marchitelli (Annapolis, MD/ South River) notched a goal while Blundin assisted on two goals. Junior midfielder Janine Bright (Commack, NY/ Commack) also entered the scoring column with an assist for Wagner. Intermixed within Wagner's seven-goal barrage were two shots that hit off the post.

The Seahawks came charging out of the gates with three unanswered goals to take a quick 3-0 lead. Richmond, off an assist from Bright, started the day's scoring with 25:42 left in the opening half. At the 19:35 mark, Clark registered her first goal, an unassisted tally that made it 2-0. Marchitelli hit the back of the net off a Blundin to put the Seahawks up 3-0 with 1*;29 to go in the half.

Bryant answered with three unanswered goals of its own from Lauren Albert, Delia Glover and Eliza Demarseilles. Richmond put Wagner back on top by a 4-3 count with an unassisted goal at 5:13. The Bulldogs, however, ended the half with a flourish as Glover sank her second goal at 2:47 before Mary Green rounded out the first-half scoring, delivering a dagger with just seven seconds left to give Bryant a 5-4 lead and momentum heading into intermission.

The Bulldogs continued that momentum at the outset of the second half, as goals by Albert, Glover and Faiola built the 8-4 cushion. Clark's conversion off a free position opened the floodgates, as this was the first of seven unanswered tallies.

Bryant held a slim 29-28 edge in shots and also led in ground balls, 14-11. Draw controls were even at 10-10. Wagner converted 2-of-9 free-position shots while Bryant was successful on 2-of-7.

Junior goalkeeper Alex Johnston (Manlius, NY. Fayetteville-Manlius) recorded nine saves for the winners while Jessica Bolton of Bryant came up with six saves for the Bulldogs.

Wagner is next in action on Tuesday, March 10 when the Seahawks make the short trek to Riverside, NY to meet Manhattan College in a 4:00 pm contest.