The Stonehill women’s lacrosse team defeated LIU 14-7 at W.B. Mason Stadium on April 18, clinching a berth in the upcoming Northeast Conference (NEC) tournament.
This victory marks the seventh consecutive win for the Skyhawks, improving their record to 10-6 overall and 7-1 in conference play. The result also means Stonehill will participate in the NEC postseason competition, while LIU falls to 9-6 overall and 6-2 in the NEC.
Grace Murphy led Stonehill with five goals and one assist, surpassing the milestone of 200 career points. Murphy has scored a team-leading 56 goals this season. Natalie Coutu contributed one goal and three assists, bringing her career total to 189 points. Sophia Gouveia recorded a personal best with five goals along with three draw controls, three ground balls, and one caused turnover. In goal, Nina Tremonte made six saves.
Stonehill succeeded on nearly all clear attempts (22-of-23), collected more ground balls than LIU (22-19), and outshot their opponents on goal by a margin of eight (17-9). The Skyhawks built an early lead as Murphy opened scoring less than a minute into play. After leading by just one at the end of the first quarter, Stonehill pulled away in the second quarter by scoring seven times before halftime.
In subsequent quarters, Gouveia and Caitlin Ruggiero extended Stonehill’s advantage while Meaghan Fealy added another late third-quarter goal. Additional fourth-quarter scores from Gouveia and Murphy sealed the outcome.
Looking ahead, Stonehill will conclude its regular season against Howard on Saturday, April 25 at noon.
