Fairfield, CT – The Wagner College women's lacrosse team got hat tricks from four different players and scored nine goals in each half Saturday afternoon in an 18-12 win over the Sacred Heart Pioneers in Northeast Conference (NEC) play from Campus Field.

Seniors Madeline Seims, Stefani Peluso, and Erin Kerstetter paced Wagner with five points each; Seims scored four goals, Kerstetter handed out four assists, and Peluso scored twice, dishing out three assists.

Sophomore Megan Greco matched Seims with a game-high four goals, as senior Victoria Tucci and junior Kasey Dorney both added hat tricks of their own.

Graduate students Lindsay Haas and Giaci Vitolo, in addition to junior Aileen Hannan all caused at least two turnovers, while Dorney added a turnover and team-high five draw controls.

Grace Reinold led Sacred Heart with a hat trick as four other Pioneers all scored twice. Elizabeth Small finished with a game-high nine draw controls, as well as two caused turnovers.

How it Happened:
With Wagner down 2-0 less than two minutes in, Greco and Seims answered with goals off assists from Peluso and Tucci, respectively, to tie the game. Sacred Heart grabbed the lead back with three straight goals, but Dorney scored a pair just 33 seconds apart, pulling Wagner back within one. After Sacred Heart pushed its lead back to two at the midway point of the half, Wagner went on a 5-0 run spanning the rest of the half, taking a 9-6 lead to the locker room; Peluso scored both of her goals during the spurt.

The teams alternated consecutive scores to open the second half, with Seims scoring twice after Sacred Heart cut the deficit to one. After the Pioneers again cut the margin to one, Wagner reeled off four more unanswered goals in less than four minutes, opening a 15-9 lead with 10 minutes to play.

Sacred Heart made one last run, notching two straight to pull back within four, but Tucci book-ended a run of three straight that put the Seahawks up seven in the final minute.

Beyond The Numbers

• Kerstetter is now one goal shy of 100 for her career, while Seims is just three goals shy of the milestone.
• Wagner has not lost consecutive NEC games since April of 2017

Next Up For Wagner
The Seahawks return to Grymes Hill Saturday April 3 for a 1:00 p.m. opening draw with Merrimack. Wagner doubled up the Warriors in North Andover, 22-11, back on March 20.