KAPLAN'S SEVEN POINTS PROPELS #17 WOMEN'S LAX PAST STONY BROOK, 12-8

Saturday, April 10

1 pm

University of New Hampshire

Stony Brook

KAPLAN'S SEVEN POINTS PROPELS #17 WOMEN'S LAX PAST STONY BROOK, 12-8

4/10/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse

SHAUNNA KAPLAN

ILANA COHEN

STONY BROOK, N.Y. -- Shaunna Kaplan (Framingham, Mass.) recorded three goals and four assists to propel the 17th-ranked University of New Hampshire women's lacrosse team to Saturday afternoon's 12-8 victory against Stony Brook University in America East action at LaValle Stadium.

UNH improved to 8-4 overall and 2-1 in America East while SBU is now 3-10, 1-3.

The seven points marked a season high for Kaplan, who also matched her season highs in both goals and assists to earn the America East Player of the Game honor for UNH. Ilana Cohen (Andover, Mass.) finished with a career-high four points on two goals and two assists. Allie Bratton (Windermere, Fla.), Amber Casiano (South Windsor, Conn.) and Kate Keagins (Bay Shore, N.Y.) each tallied two goals apiece.

Kathleen O'Keefe (Chatham, N.J.) recorded all four of her saves in the first half. Allie Duclos (South Windsor, Conn.) finished with game highs in ground balls (four), caused turnovers (two) and draw controls (five).

Seawolves' goalie Mickey Cahill made 14 saves, including nine in the second half, to garner SBU's America East Player of the Game. Courtney Bertolone and Nicolle Moran were two of five Stony Brook players to record multiple points with two goals apiece.

The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead at 25:54 on Bratton's unassisted goal, but SBU netted the next three goals in a span of 11 minutes to build a 3-1 advantage. Bertolone pulled the Seawolves even at 23:23, then Moran and Jessica Romano struck 91 seconds apart -- at 15:59 and 14:28.

O'Keefe then kept the 'Cats within two goals when she denied Bertolone at 10:07. Erin Levesque (Duxbury, Mass.) corralled the ground ball and a good clear led to a pair of Duclos shots that sailed wide and another shot by Keagins that was stopped by Cahill.

Casiano then caused a Stony Brook turnover and gathered the ground ball, and Cohen converted a pass from Kaplan into a goal to lift UNH within 3-2 at 7:14.

Duclos won the ensuing draw control, but Cahill preserved the home team's lead with a save against Keagins. SBU called time out at that point, but soon thereafter Duclos caused a turnover and, after a good clear, her shot was stopped by Cahill with just under five minutes remaining in the first half.

The Wildcats retained possession, however, and generated a shot by Jenny Simpson (New Canaan, Conn.). Cahill once again made the save to keep the Seawolves in the lead, 3-2 at 3:55. Bertolone picked up the ground ball and at the other end of the field her shot was stopped by O'Keefe.

New Hampshire committed a turnover, but Kaplan got the ball back for the 'Cats with a caused turnover and then set up Casiano's goal with 10 seconds on the clock to level the score, 3-3.

UNH tallied a 14-11 shot advantage in the opening 30 minutes, including 10-3 in the last 14:28 of the half after the Seawolves took a 3-1 lead.

The Wildcats utilized a 5-1 spurt during the initial 10:22 of the second half to build an 8-4 lead.

In the opening two minutes of the second half, Cahill recorded a pair of saves to keep the scored deadlocked at 3. She then turned the ball over to JoJo Curro (Amherst, N.H.), however, and that led to Cohen's second goal of the game at 27:47, which gave the Wildcats their second lead of the game, 4-3.

SBU pulled even, 4-4, on Bertolone's free-position goal at 25:41 but Bratton won the ensuing draw control and scored her second goal of the day, an unassisted tally at 25:25 to put New Hampshire ahead, 5-4, and ignite a run of four goals in a six-minute span.

Kaplan tallied her third point of the game when her goal -- off a pass from Cohen -- extended the cushion to 6-4 at 22:45. The assist also marked Cohen's third point of the afternoon. Keagins gained possession on the ensuing draw control and scored an unassisted goal at 21:04 to give the 'Cats a 7-4 lead. Moments later, Cohen caused a Seawolves' turnover that led to an 8-4 advantage at 19:38 when Kaplan converted a feed from Simpson into a goal.

Stony Brook called time out and trimmed the deficit to 8-5 on Jackie Hughes' goal at 18:42.

Kaplan gathered the ensuing draw control and recorded her third assist of the game on Keagins' goal at 18:22 that reestablished a four-goal lead of 9-5.

Moran pulled the home squad within 9-6 on her second unassisted goal of the game at 13:10.

Deb Dale (East Northport, N.Y.), with Kaplan's assistance, scored her second goal of the season to push the score to 10-6 in favor of the Wildcats at 8:07.

SBU once again pulled within three goals, 10-7, at 4:13 on a goal by Abby Ford.

Kaplan, off another pass from Cohen, scored her third goal of the game -- 16th of the season -- at 3:17 to give UNH an 11-7 lead. Cook tallied a goal at 2:01 to make it 11-8, and Casiano struck at 1:33 to close the scoring.

The Wildcats outshot Stony Brook 20-6 in the second half and 34-17 overall. The 'Cats also finished with the edge in ground balls (17-15) and draw controls (13-8) while also committing fewer turnovers (12-20).

Kaplan moved into the team lead in points (36) and extended her assist streak to five consecutive games. Simpson lengthened her point-scoring streak to seven games and Keagins now has a goal each of the last five games.

New Hampshire returns to action April 17 at home against Binghamton University. The women's lax program will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 1985 NCAA national championship team at halftime of the game, which begins at 1 p.m.