LORETTO, Pa. – Senior Amanda Heidt scored a career-high six goals and senior Emileigh Scott added five goals and 10 draw controls as the Saint Francis women's lacrosse team closed out its record-breaking March with a 21-9 rout of Merrimack on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Red Flash matched its program best for goals against an NEC opponent and bested last weekend's program record for margin of victory against a conference foe. The three-game home winning streak tied the program's high-water mark.
 
Redshirt senior Peyton LeConte and sophomore Erika Ellison recorded three caused turnovers each and combined for five ground balls.
 
Saint Francis 21, Merrimack 9
Records: Saint Francis (3-4, 3-3 NEC); Merrimack (1-6, 1-5 NEC)
Location: DeGol Field (Loretto, Pa.)
 
COACH COYNE'S COMMENTS
"I am so proud of how well we played today. We considered this a must-win and played that way from the opening draw. Watching the attack bury their shots, especially in the second half, was a lot of fun. Amanda was on fire. She can be very crafty with her stick which makes her really dangerous on free position shots.

Another key to victory was the great job the defense did limiting the scoring opportunities of Merrimack's top attackers. Peyton was given a specific matchup and did a fabulous job holding her opponent scoreless. Erika had five defensive points in her first start which gave the team a good spark. We owned the draw circle in the second half. Emileigh deserves a lot of credit for how well we did.  She controlled the draw, setting both herself and her teammates up to win it.  

What makes me really happy was how quickly we turned the page after the LIU loss. We were a resilient and focused team. This was a statement win.  It's something we can build on for next week's game against Sacred Heart."
 
KEY MOMENTS

• Saint Francis jumped out to a 3-0 lead on a goal from Scott and two from redshirt senior Livia Baker.
• A four-goal run late in the first half turned a one-goal advantage into a 9-4 halftime lead.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Saint Francis scored 92 seconds into the game on a goal from Scott and Baker followed with a pair of goals to give the Red Flash a 3-0 advantage 3:31 in.
• Merrimack scored the next two and SFU responded with a pair of Scott goals to move in front 5-2 with 19:36 to go before halftime.
• The Warriors would again pull within one before a man-up goal from Heidt started a four-goal run into the half. Scott scored, Baker tallied a man-down goal, and Heidt added another before the half for a 9-4 lead.
• Heidt opened the second-half scoring to make it 10-4, and after a Merrimack goal, junior Catherine Russo found the cage with her fifth of the year.
• Junior Autumn McHenry and Heidt scored two goals each in a 4-0 stretch to lead 15-6 with 14:38 to play.
• Freshman Danielle Hernandez scored back-to-back goals to put the Red Flash ahead 17-7 with 9:56 remaining.
• Goals from Scott and Heidt pushed the margin to 19-8, and after a Merrimack goal, freshman Tori Petrie scored her first career goal with 55 seconds to play. A Baker goal followed for the final 21-9 score.

STATS

• Baker contributed four goals, one assist, two ground balls, and one caused turnover.
• McHenry (4) and Russo (3) teamed up for seven of the Red Flash's 11 assists.
• Scott collected double-digit draw controls for the ninth time in her career.
• LeConte added six draw controls and McHenry chipped in with three. The Red Flash held a 19-12 advantage on the draw.
• Saint Francis was 6-of-9 on free-position shots and 17-of-18 on clear attempts.
• Junior Elyssa Enrique made nine saves.

GAME NOTES

• Saint Francis improves to 1-1 all-time against Merrimack.
• The 21 goals match the output on April 20, 2012 vs LIU Brooklyn. The performance is tied for the second-most against any opponent.
• The Red Flash have outscored their opponents 47-22 in their last three games at DeGol Field. The three-game home winning streak matches a stretch from March 19-23 for the longest in program history.
• Ellison made her first career start.

UP NEXT 
Saint Francis will travel to Connecticut next weekend for a Saturday meeting with Sacred Heart. The game in Fairfield is scheduled for 1 p.m. and can be seen on NEC Front Row.
 
Follow Saint Francis Women's Lacrosse on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get up-to-date information and a behind-the-scenes look at the Red Flash program.

To learn more about Saint Francis University, visit francis.edu.