DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Senior Devon Mello (Laconia, N.H.) poured in five goals and Plymouth State University opened Little East Conference (LEC) play with an impressive 19-1 win at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in women's lacrosse action at Cressy Field on Saturday.
 
Mello opened the scoring just 50 seconds into the game and her third goal of the afternoon capped a 7-0 spurt as the Panthers cruised to an early lead and never looked back. PSU held a 7-1 lead after the first and kept the Corsairs off the scoreboard the rest of the way, rolling to the decisive victory.
 
The Panthers improve to 6-3 (1-0 LEC), while UMass Dartmouth goes to 1-7 and 0-1 in the Little East.
 
The Basics:

• Plymouth State 19, UMass Dartmouth 1
  • Plymouth State (6-3, 1-0 LEC)
  • UMass Dartmouth (1-7, 0-1 LEC)

Top Performers:

• Devon Mello (5 goals, 2 gb)
• Olivia Croke (1 goal, 5 asts, 3 gb, 2 ct)
• Julia Donovan (3 goals, 1 ast, 3 gb)

How it Happened:

• Mello kicked off the game with her seventh of the year to spark an early outburst for the Panthers.
• Junior Emily Santom (Litchfield, N.H.) and freshman Julia Donovan (Antrim, N.H.) each scored twice in the run, while Mello completed the hat trick as PSU surged to a 7-0 lead after the first eight minutes of play.
• UMD broke through with a goal, but PSU closed the frame with back-to-back goals to take a 9-1 lead into the second quarter.
• Mello found the back of the cage to open the second as Plymouth State put up another five goals and the Panthers cruised into halftime leading 14-1.
• Mello notched her fifth of the day and Santom picked up her fourth as the lead grew to 17-1 after three.
• The Panthers added a pair of goals in the fourth to account for the final score.

By the Numbers:

• Mello's five goals were a career high.
• Junior Olivia Croke (Norwell, Mass.) finished with six points on a goal and five assists. She added three ground balls and two caused turnovers.
• Donovan tallied three goals and an assist and chipped in with three ground balls.
• Santom totaled four goals, while junior Julia Mahoney (Stratford, Conn.) and freshman Amelia Thomas (Hopkinton, N.H.) led the way with five draw controls apiece.
• PSU held a 39-5 advantage in shots and went 7-for-8 on clear attempts.
• The Panthers scooped up 22 ground balls to UMD's nine and won 20-of-24 draws.
• Plymouth State has won the last 15 meetings and 24-of-25 dating back to the 1998 season.

 
Up Next:

• The Panthers host Bridgewater State University under the lights on Tuesday (Apr. 5) night. Opening draw is set for 7:00 p.m.

 
 
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