Blanding's Four Goals Propels 'Cats Past UMBC, 11-9

Saturday, March 24

Baltimore, MD

11 AM

University of New Hampshire

3-5, 1-0AE

University of Maryland Baltimore County

7-3, 0-1AE

New Hampshire

UMBC

Photo by: Helene Bartsch

3/24/2018 2:49:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score

BALTIMORE – Elizabeth Blanding (Pittsford, N.Y.) scored the last two goals of the game to lift the University of New Hampshire women's lacrosse team to Saturday afternoon's 11-9 victory against UMBC at UMBC Stadium.

Blanding, who scored a career-high four goals for a personal best of four points, broke the 9-9 tie at 3:20 and struck again with 56 seconds remaining. Carly Wooters (White Plains, N.Y.) recorded one goal, two assists, five draw controls and two ground balls. Krissy Schafer (Longmeadow, Mass.) was UNH's other multiple-point scorer with two goals.

Kate Clancy (Barrington, R.I.) was credited with eight saves, four ground balls and a caused turnover. Lizzie Suschana (Somers, Conn.) helped anchor the defensive effort with four ground balls and two caused turnovers.

UMBC was led offensively by Sara Moeser (4g, 2a). Kelsey Major made 11 saves.

UNH improves to 3-5 overall and 1-0 in America East. UMBC is now 7-3, 0-1.

UP NEXT

UNH continues its stretch of three consecutive road games March 29 (7 p.m.) at Hofstra University.
The Wildcats' next home game is April 4 (4 p.m.) vs. UMass Lowell.

DOWN THE STRETCH

Trailing 9-8 with five minutes remaining, the Wildcats closed the game on a 3-0 run to rally for the victory.
On a free position from the top of the fan, Wooters ripped a shot inside the right post to tie the score, 9-9, at 4:57.
Blanding gave UNH its third lead of the game, 10-9, at 3:20 when she charged from 12 meters on the left wing and blasted a shot under the crossbar.
UMBC gained control of the ensuing draw, but Moeller's free-position shot at 2:23 was blocked and Cat Sennott (Westford, Mass.) corralled the ground ball to give possession back to the 'Cats.
At the other end of the field, Blanding split a pair of defenders low on the left side to advance to the top of the crease, where she sidearmed a shot inside the right post for an 11-9 lead with 56 seconds remaining.
The Retrievers gained possession with 46 seconds to play, but lost the ball 12 seconds later. UMBC once again got the ball back in the attack zone, but Clancy intercepted a pass in the closing seconds to secure the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED

New Hampshire took a 1-0 lead 72 seconds into the game when Michele Smith (Wantagh, N.Y.) converted a free position into a goal.
UMBC's Carolyn Jamison answered with a free-position goal 30 seconds later to tie the score, 1-1, at 28:18.
Neither team scored the next 11 minutes until Moeller gave the Retrievers a 2-1 lead at 16:35.
Moeller struck again at 11:27 and then set up Lauren McDonald's goal 51 seconds later to extend UMBC's lead to 4-1.
Schafer finished a feed from Wooters to end the home team's stretch of four consecutive goals and lift UNH within 4-2 at 9:54.
An outstanding individual effort by Julia Neyland (Boxborough, Mass.) trimmed the deficit to one goal at 4:40. Neyland caused a turnover with a stick check and ground ball, then charged down the middle of the field, beat a defender and rifled a shot into the upper-right corner.
Blanding made it three consecutive goals for the Wildcats and a 4-4 tie at 1:36. On a free position from the left side, she beat the goalie inside the near post.
Rebecca Sennott (Westford, Mass.) gained possession of the ensuing draw control, but Neyland fired a shot wide with 47 seconds on the clock, UMBC corralled the ground ball and Payton Van Kirk scored with 16 seconds left to give the Retrievers a 5-4 lead heading into halftime.
UMBC opened the second-half scoring with quick back-to-back goals by Kristyn Staley (at 27:28) and Moeller (26:51) to reestablish a three-goal lead of 7-4.
UNH reeled off four consecutive goals, however, to go back in front, 8-7. Caroline Hernon (Hampton, N.H.) ignited the rally on a low shot from the top of the fan at 22:45.
Schafer scored her second goal of the game at 20:54 when she caught a pass low on the left side, dodged across the top of the crease and deposited a shot under the crossbar.
Blanding leveled the score, 7-7, on a free position at 18:17 in which she rifled a shot from the right wing into the upper-right corner.
UMBC called timeout, but the Wildcats struck next on another free position. Wooters, from the top of the fan, found Catherine Sexton (Niskayuna, N.Y.) alone low on the left side. Sexton continued toward the middle of the fan and scored.
UMBC surged back in front, 9-8, on back-to-back goals by Moeller and Taylor Oliver at 13:20 and 8:57, respectively.

UNH NOTEBOOK

Schafer extended her goal and point streaks to six games; she has 16 points, all on goals, during the streak.
Wooters extended her goal and point streaks to five games; she has 11 goals and four assists for 15 points in that time.
Smith has scored a goal in back-to-back game and in 4 of 5.
Neyland has a three-game point streak (1g, 3a).
Sexton has a goal in three consecutive games (3g, 1a).
New Hampshire improved to 13-4 lifetime vs. UMBC and ended the Retrievers' three-game win streak in the series.
The Wildcats recorded their first road win of the season in three games away from Durham.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

UNH limited the Retrievers, who were averaging 13.67 goals per game, to four second-half goals – two the final 26 minutes – and nine goals total.
New Hampshire finished with the edge in shots (29-26), shots on goal (22-17), ground balls (26-16), draw controls (12-10) and turnovers (20-21).
The Wildcats scored a season-high five free-position goals on just 10 free-position shots. They entered the game 11-for-47 (23%) on free-position shots.