BROOKLYN, N.Y. - After a week on the road, the LIU Brooklyn women's lacrosse team returned home to LIU Field Friday, hosting La Salle in a Friday evening matchup that the Explorers won, 16-12. Sophomore Bianca Santucci led the Blackbirds with four goals, while senior Sierra O'Conner and freshman Elise Person both had hat tricks in the loss.
 
The visiting team got on the board first, scoring just a minute and a half into the contest, but Santucci wouldn't wait long to answer for LIU. The sophomore scored two minutes later, off a pass from junior Dale Cosgrave to tie the game up, 1-1. Then, freshman Amanda Masullo gave LIU a 2-1 lead with her unassisted goal two minutes later. Though La Salle would score again to tie it up, senior Sierra O'Connor helped LIU lead again, with her goal six minutes in, off a pass from Cosgrave again, 3-2.
 
But the Explorers would score the next three straight, to take a 6-3 lead with 15 minutes left in the first half. Freshman Rachel Masullo cut into the difference with an unassisted goal 20 seconds later, but two more La Salle goals widened the lead to 8-4. Santucci would score again before the half expired, and La Salle led at the break, 9-5.
 
Santucci would get the scoring started in the second half, scoring a goal just two minutes in to make it 9-6. The Explorers would score twice more to make it 11-6, but O'Connor would add a goal 10 minutes in, and freshman Elise Person scored a man-down goal for LIU to cut the lead back down to just three goals, 11-8. However, over the next five minutes, La Salle's scoring exploded, as Brittany Edwards would score four straight goals as a part of a 5-0 run by the Explorers that gave them the 16-8 lead.
 
The Blackbirds did their best to answer, and would score four goals in the final six minutes. Person would score back to back unassisted goals with six minutes left and then four minutes left, to cut it to 16-10. O'Connor added one with 1:23 to play, and Santucci scored her fourth goal of the game, scooping the ball into the net with just eight seconds left, but the Blackbirds would fall just short, as La Salle took the win, 16-12.
 
Up next for LIU (3-6) is the start of Northeast Conference play. The Blackbirds will travel north to take on Sacred Heart after a two week break, Friday, April 6 at 4 p.m.