Red Flash drop season opener to Central Michigan, 20-10

BOX SCORE Loretto, Pa. - The Saint Francis University lacrosse team (0-1) opened its 2017 season in blustery conditions on Thursday, falling to Central Michigan 20-10 in a game that saw steady snowfall from start to finish.

Concheck's Reaction

"Although there were many positive takeaways on the day, we didn't place our shots," said head coach Kara Concheck. "Too many shots were straight at the goalkeeper and that was the difference in the game. We will learn from this and move our attention to an important game at Radford on Sunday."

Turning Point

The Red Flash got off to a slow start, falling behind 3-0. Junior midfielder Jessica Mazzur (Dallastown, Pa./York Catholic) (Dallastown, Pa.) tallied the first Saint Francis goal of the season to make the score 3-1. The Chippewas and Red Flash proceeded to trade goals until Central Michigan closed the half with five unanswered tallies to turn a 7-4 lead into a 12-4 advantage at the half.

By the Numbers

Saint Francis outshot Central Michigan 35-31 for the game and held a 27-24 edge in shots on goal.
The Red Flash also fielded 31 ground balls to 26 for the Chippewas. Mazzur led Saint Francis with six.
The difference in the game was Central Michigan's ability to convert its shots into goals. The Chippewas found the twine on 20 of its 31 shots (.645%) while the Red Flash converted just 10 of 35 (.286%). Central Michigan's goalies combined for 17 saves.

Notes

Junior midfielder Jessica Mazzur (Dallastown, Pa./York Catholic) (Dallastown, Pa.) led the Red Flash and tied her career-high with four goals on just six shots. All six of her attempts were on the cage.
Senior Sarah Mahon (Malverne, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) (Malverne, N.Y.) added three goals and caused three Central Michigan turnovers.
Senior Holly Lawrence (Damascus, Md./Damascus) (Damascus, Md.), junior Sydney Rowan (Rochester, N.Y./Our Lady of Mercy) (Rochester, N.Y.) and freshman Sydney Davis (Harwood, Md./Southern) (Harwood, Md.) scored the other Saint Francis goals.
The Red Flash picked up where it left off in 2016, scoring lots of goals. Saint Francis hit double digits in scoring output in 11 of 16 contests last season.