BIDDEFORD, Maine – Freshman Julia Donovan (Antrim, N.H.) continued the impressive start to her debut season completing another hat trick as Plymouth State University toppled the University of New England, 13-7, in non-conference women's lacrosse action at Blue Bolt Field on Tuesday evening.
 
With the game tied at 2-2 midway through the first quarter, Donovan netted the tie-breaking score to spark the momentum for the Panthers. Junior Olivia Croke (Norwell, Mass.) pitched in a score of her own and Donovan found the back of the cage twice more before the end of the frame as PSU took a 6-3 lead after the first.
 
PSU scored four times in the second for a 10-3 margin, but the Nor'easters held Plymouth State scoreless in the third to cut the margin to 10-6 heading into the fourth quarter. Donovan buried her fourth of the evening to restore order as the Panthers closed out the game from there.
 
Plymouth State moves up to 2-0, while UNE dips to 0-2.
 
The Basics:

• Plymouth State 13, UNE 7
  • Plymouth State (2-0)
  • UNE (0-2)

Top Performers:

• Julia Donovan (4 goals)
• Olivia Croke (2 goals, 3 asts)
• Julia Mahoney (8 dc, 3 gb)

How it Happened:

• Senior Devon Mello (Laconia, N.H.) and freshman Elle Moshier (Stratford, Conn.) teamed up to score goals for the Panthers, but UNE had an immediate answer each time to tie the game 2-2 in the early going.
• Donovan and Croke punched in another pair of scores less than a minute apart to take a 4-2 lead.
• Donovan carried the momentum with back-to-back goals to convert her second hat trick in as many games for a 6-2 lead.
• UNE cut the margin to 6-3 late in the first, but Santom scored 5:18 into the second to spark a 4-0 spurt. Freshman Maddie Hunt (Littleton, Mass.) scored twice in the surge, with Moshier adding her second of the game to close out the half with a 10-3 advantage.
• The Nor'easters gained momentum in the third quarter, scoring the only three goals of the frame to cut into the PSU lead, but Donovan and Santom went back-to-back to open the fourth and Croke closed out the win with her second goal and fifth point of the day to account for the final score.

By the Numbers:

• Plymouth State outshot UNE by a 30-15 margin.
• Sophomore Piper Sherbert (Freeport, Maine) had four saves to improve to 2-0.
• PSU won 19 draw controls, led by junior Julia Mahoney (Stratford, Conn.) who grabbed eight.
• UNE held a slight 22-18 edge in ground balls.

 
Up Next:

• The Panthers return home to host the University of Maine Farmington on Saturday (Mar. 5) at 12:00 p.m.

 
 
  Read Full Article