Women's Lacrosse Dominates Manhattanville 16-9 in First Ever Game

Women's Lacrosse Dominates Manhattanville 16-9 in First Ever Game

Box Score

On a cold, blustery day in Purchase, N.Y., the Mercy College women’s lacrosse program breathed life for the first time, playing the inaugural game of its inaugural season. Led by four goals each from freshmen Marissa Hurley (Shirley, N.Y./William Floyd) and Jamie McPartland (North Massapequa, N.Y./Farmingdale), the Mavericks defeated the Manhattanville Valiants, 16-9, in front of 110 fans at GoValiants.com Field.

Mercy controlled the pace of the game from the onset, as Julie Darnulc (Baldwin, N.Y./Baldwin) earned the opening draw.

“The draw control was very important for us,” claimed first-year head coach Francesca DeLorenzo. “Possession was key in this game. “

After missing on their first few shots, the Mavs’ Hurley tallied the first goal in program history at the 27:04 mark of the first half, an unassisted goal as she beat Manhattanville goalie Kirstin Betsill.

DeLorenzo continued, “That first goal sent a good message, both to them and to us.”

Just 104 seconds after the initial goal, McPartland scored on a free position shot to give the Mavericks a 2-0 lead.

McPartland scored her second consecutive goal, followed by a Stephanie DeLegge (Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore) goal at the 17:36 mark, and the Mavs took an early 4-0 lead.

The Valiants regrouped, found their composure, and tallied three straight goals, cutting the deficit to 4-3 with 13:57 to go in the half.

Mercy would respond with another four-goal run, taking an 8-3 lead into the break. The first two of these goals came just ten seconds apart, from Darnulc and DeLegge.

Brianna Horn (Wantagh, N.Y./Kellenberg) started the second half with a goal just 40 seconds in, extending the lead to six goals. The teams next traded goals, then M’Ville rattled off three straight to cut the lead to 10-7.

The Valiants seemed poised to add more to their score, but Mercy’s freshman keeperLauren Mateja (King of Prussia, Pa./Upper Merion) made back-to-back saves to boost the Mavericks’ spirits, and keep Mercy in the lead.

Mercy responded with an impressive run of five straight goals, included goals by Horn and Hurley that were just 24 seconds apart.

Up by eight, the Mavericks slowed the game down, running clock, edging closer to the win. Manhattanville was able to score twice, cutting the lead to 15-9. Then, in the waning moments of the game, DiLegge notched her third goal of the gale for the 16-9 final.

“We finally established ourselves,” exclaimed DeLorenzo in the heights of the post-game celebration. “It is just such a great feeling.”

For the game, Hurley led the team with four goals and an assist, while McPartland added four goals. DiLegge had three goals and an assist, while Darnulc had three goals and two assists. Horn had the other goal, while Rachel Ferri (Cranston, R.I./Cranston West) added an assist.
Mercy out-shot Manhattanville 37-21, including a 20-8 mark at halftime.

Mercy (1-0, 0-0 ECC) travels to Philadelphia to face Holy Family on Saturday at Drexel’s Vidas Athletic Complex. The first draw is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.