Box Score
BROOKLYN, N.Y.- Strong scoring from a trio of freshmen led the LIU Brooklyn women's lacrosse team to its first Northeast Conference win of the season, a 12-8 victory over Mount St. Mary's on Sunday afternoon at LIU Field.
Danita Stroup led the way with four goals, while Tori Shinkowitz and Jenn Peters each added a pair of hat tricks.
"This is a huge team win for us," said LIU Brooklyn head coach Allison Nuzzi. "The girls have been putting in a lot of time and it's great to see them experience success."
The first 30 minuts saw a tight battle between both squads. The Mount would be the first to score, but a successful LIU clear attempt after goalkeeper Alexis Maldonado made her first save of the match put the ball back in the sticks of the Blackbirds. Peters then streaked down the field to tie it up at 1-1 with 27:17 left to go.
The Mount would get the slight edge once again after a free position shot with 23:50 to play, but Cailyn Cowan won the draw for LIU, and a Brittany Rader assist led to a goal from Stroup to tie the game again.
The same sequence followed in the next four minutes, before a goal from Mary McQueen gave the Blackbirds their first lead of the game at 4-3 with 17:19 to go.
A series of turnovers led to no scoring action from either side for the next 13 minutes. A caused turnover and ground ball recovery from Jenn Peters gave way to a goal from junior Colleen Holmes for a two goal lead at 5-3 with 4:52 left in the first half.
The Mount would score once more to close the half at 5-4. Coming out of the break, Mount St. Mary's tied it up at 5-5, but a goal from Shinkowitz with 26:00 left on the clock gave LIU its lead back. She then scored again three minutes later to regain the two-goal cushion.
Mount St. Mary's closed the gap to one again with 22:37 to go, but the Blackbirds won the draw control and held onto the ball for the next five minutes. Their patience paid off, as Peters, positioned off to the side of the net, hooked one in to push the score up 8-6.
With 14:53 to go, LIU saw its largest lead of the game as Shinkowitz added another for a 9-6 lead. A foul gave way to a free position shot from the Mount. Junior Shannon Morris won the draw and LIU once again tried to run down the clock. A shot from McQueen was saved to give possession back to the Mount, but Maldonado made a save of her own for an LIU clear attempt. Peters scored again with 7:04 left to go.
The Blackbirds continued to keep the ball, winning the draw control, and Peters assisted Stroup for a four-goal LIU lead with just under four minutes to play. The Mount would score once more, but it was the Blackbirds who had the last word, as Stroup capped off the game at 12-8.
Maldonado had nine saves on the day, while the Blackbirds led in shots 21-20, including 7-4 in the second half.
"Defense put stops together and finished," said Nuzzi after the game. "Alexis Maldonado had an outstanding game in the net. We are very proud of everyone and look forward to getting back to work this week."
LIU moves to 1-3 in conference, while the Mount falls to 1-3.
The Blackbirds travel to Sacred Heart this Friday, April 18 for their last regular-season road game. Game time is set for 3:00 p.m.