Lacrosse Falls 15-8 at Purchase

Courtesy of SUNY-Purchase Sports Information

Purchase, NY (March 21, 2015) – Make it four straight to open the season for the streaking Purchase College women's lacrosse team.

Purchase (4-0) defeated the Massachusetts College of the Liberal Arts 15-8 Saturday at home. The Panthers – now in their third year as a varsity program and second under head coach Francesca Levine – are off to their best start in college history. Last season, Purchase began 3-1, but lost the second game of the spring. The recent win streak has seen the Panthers reel off four non-conference victories in gearing up for their league schedule, which opens Monday at Old Westbury.  

Purchase standout rookie Zoe Hines started the scoring on an unassisted tally in the first 35 seconds of the game.

MCLA quickly responded with a goal by Rebecca Pike to tie it at 1-1 before the Panthers got hot quickly and netted seven straight goals, highlighted by two from Kelly Turtell, the second, third and fourth of the game from Hines, and a score from Virginia Redlon.

MCLA (1-2) would score once more in the first half (Kaitlyn Brown). Purchase's Samantha Rich capped the first-half scoring as the Panthers took a commanding 9-2 lead into intermission.   

The Trailblazers wouldn't go quietly in the second stanza, but the Panthers continued their strong play by scoring three of the first four goals scored in the second after MCLA's Natalie Caney opened the second-half scoring.

Rich scored her 12th of the afternoon, assisted by Hines (25:09). Shortly after, Maria Papp grabbed her third goal of the season. Hines then tallied her 21st goal of the season – one shy of Rich's single-season mark, which she set in the program's first season.

Hines would finish the game with five goals and three assists. She was followed by Turtell, who finished with three goals and three assists of her own. Smith and Rich each scored twice in the victory. Rich also added 12 draw controls to help set the tone offensively.

MCLA would counter with five of the next eight goals (Brown, Pike, Rachel Green, Mackenzie Gregory and Caney). Nonetheless, Purchase tacked on a three more including another score from Turtell to close out the win.

Caitlin Sosa earned the win in goal for the Panthers. She finished with five saves.

Purchase held the edge in ground balls (25-13), draw controls (15-5) and free position shots (7-4).