Big Second Half Helps No. 25 Women’s Lacrosse Defeat Coast Guard, 14-7

NEW LONDON, Conn. – In a battle of undefeated NEWMAC women's lacrosse teams, No. 25 MIT outscored the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, 8-2, in the second half to pull away for a 14-7 victory on Saturday afternoon.

Nina Petulla powered the Engineers with a game-high five goals to go along with four draw controls, one groundball, and one caused turnover.

THE BASICS:

• Score: No. 25 MIT 14, Coast Guard 7

• Records: No. 25 MIT (13-3 Overall, 9-0 NEWMAC); Coast Guard (11-2 Overall, 8-1 NEWMAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Both teams traded goals during the opening quarter, resulting in 2-2 deadlock. Annica Lam put MIT on the board first with a player-advantage goal at the 10:11 mark. Three minutes later, Coast Guard tied the game; however, Ashley Thomas put the Engineers in front when she connected on a pass from Gwen Flusche with 4:17 on the clock. The Bears quickly followed with a player-advantage free-position goal.

• Coast Guard inched ahead, 3-2, after 1:41 elapsed, but back-to-back goals from Petulla put the Engineers back in front with 11:06 on the clock. The Bears evened the score courtesy of a player-advantage goal at the 7:49 mark. Following 5:29 of scoreless play, MIT broke through when Samantha Moorhead redirected a feed from Thomas. The Engineers quickly increased their cushion to 6-4 after Petulla completed the hat trick, but Coast Guard cut its deficit in half with another player-advantage strike.

• MIT generated five goals in a span of 10:44 to build an 11-5 advantage in the third quarter. Jillian Butler sparked the run when she scored on a Thomas pass after 1:05 expired and then Lam quickly followed with an unassisted goal. Moorhead registered a pair of goals while Petulla capped the burst with 3:19 on the clock. The Bears ended their scoring drought a minute later, narrowing the gap to 11-6.

• The Engineers produced three unanswered goals in the fourth quarter, resulting in their largest lead of the day. Thomas found the back of the net following 1:21 of action as Petulla added a player-advantage goal at the 11:56 mark. A defensive battle ensued until Thomas buried a free position goal with 3:43 remaining. However, Coast Guard notched the final goal of the day with 1:14 to go.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Thomas finished with three goals, two assists, two groundballs, and one caused turnover as Lam posted two goals, one assist, and two draw controls.

• Moorhead had a hat trick while Butler collected four draw controls.

• Loralei Quinn produced three groundballs and two caused turnovers as Mairin Anderson notched two caused turnovers.

• In net, Pauline Vien made 10 saves and scooped up four groundballs.

UP NEXT:

• MIT will wrap up the NEWMAC regular season on Wednesday, April 22 when it hosts Smith College at 6:00 PM.

STAY CONNECTED: