BOX SCORE

Oyster Bay, NY– The Wagner College women's lacrosse team held Siena in check defensively for long stretches of the game but the Seahawks were only able to sink eight of their 23 shot attempts in falling to the Saints 16-8 in the inaugural Township of Oyster Bay Supervisor's Trophy Game at Ellsworth Allen Park.

With the loss, the Seahawks fall to 1-5 on the season while Siena evened its record at 4-4.

The game was a defensive-minded affair early as neither team could find the mark until Siena's Kristan McMillan scored off a Caitlin Mikel assist with 18:12 left in the first half. The teams then went scoreless for the next eight minutes until Mikel notched an unassisted tally at the 10:12 mark of the opening half. Goals by McMillan and Deirdre McQuillan staked Siena to a 4-0 lead.

Wagner fought back with goals by senior midfielder Lauren Petrik (Baldwinsville, NY), which came on a free position attempt, and sophomore attack Annie O'Connor (Syracuse, NY/ Westhill) off a an assist from freshman attack Leea Sinay (Marcellus, NY/ Marcellus) to draw to within 4-2.

Erin Hepper's goal with 42 seconds remaining in the opening half gave Siena a 5-2 lead at halftime. Hepper's goal triggered a five-goal splurge for the Saints as Siena opened the second half with a game-changing 4-0 run in building a commanding 9-2 lead with 27 minutes left in the game.
 
The Seahawks showed some resolve, answering with a 3-0 flurry of their own over the next 1:50 to close to within 9-5. Freshman attack Sam Morin (Rockville Centre, NY/ South Side) started the rally with a goal on a free position shot at the 22:17 mark. One minute later, fellow freshman Michela Galante (Maplewood, NJ/ Columbia), a midfielder, fired home an unassisted goal in transition to make it a 9-4 game. Junior midfielder Carolyn Clark (Syracuse, NY/ Westhill, the team leader in points (14) and goals (10, then capped the run with a goal off a free position shot to make it a 9-5 game with 20:27 to play.

The momentum was short-lived however as Siena,countered with a 3-0 run to build a 12-5 edge with 12:20 left. The final portion of the game was played on nearly even terms as Siena out-scored Wagner 4-3 the rest of the way.

The Saints featured a strikingly balanced offensive attack with McMillan and Michelle Andreo leading the way with four goals apiece, while Mikel and McQuinlan finished with three goals each. Morin paced the Seahawks with two goals. Recording one goal apiece were Clark, O'Connor, Petrik, sophomore attack Jillian Maloney (Mahopac, NY/ Mahopac) and senior attack Dana Marchitelli (Annapolis, MD/ South River).

Junior Denieda McCullough (Freeport, NY/ Freeport) had an active game on the defensive end, registering team highs in ground balls (4) and caused turnovers (2) while winning two draw controls. Freshman Morgan Roach (Syracuse, NY/ Westhill) gained the start in goal and came up with 12 saves in the game's first 46 minutes and was particularly sharp early in the contest, coming up with several saves on point-blank shots. Senior Marcela Hernandez (Freeport, NY/ Freeport) played the final 14 minutes of the game and saved two shots.

Siena out-shot the Seahawks 35-23, enjoyed a 21-14 edge in ground balls and held a 15-11 advantage in draw controls. Wagner committed 18 turnovers to Siena's 12, which contributed to the Seahawks being successful on just 11-of-19 clears.

The game was a particularly physical affair as the team's were whistled for a combined 71 fouls, 42 on Siena and 29 called on the Seahawks. There were five yellow cards issued in the game, four on the Seahawks.

Wagner swings right back into action with a home game on Tuesday, March 22 vs. the University of California-Davis. Opening draw is set for 3:00 p.m.

NOTES – Each team was awarded a Most Valuable Player during a post-game ceremony at midfield. The format featured the respective head coaches naming an MVP from the opposing team. Siena head coach Andrea Duffy selected O'Connor as Wagner's MVP while Seahawk head coach Cristina Curiale tabbed Andreo as the Saints' MVP. The Saints were awarded possession of the Supervisor's Trophy Award as this was the first game in what will be an annual Long Island affair between the schools.