» Yogi Berra would always say "Déjà vu all over again," and for the Saint Francis University women's lacrosse team it may have felt that way on Saturday since the game against Merrimack College was eerily similar to the first Northeast Conference (NEC) home game of the season.
» In both games, the Red Flash had a strong first quarter to take a 3-1 lead after 15 minutes before the opponent used a huge second quarter to take the lead and go on for the win, and that is exactly what the Warriors did on Saturday for a 12-8 win.
» Autumn McHenry (Branford, Conn.) paced Saint Francis with four goals and an assist along with four draw controls and a ground ball.
» Elyssa Enrique (North Canton, Ohio) made 13 saves for the Loretto program.
The first turning point of the game was the 4-0 second quarter by Merrimack to give the Warriors the lead they would not relinquish.
McHenry cut the margin to 7-6 with 6:55 left in the third quarter. The Red Flash won the ensuing draw control and was driving toward the goal, but turned the ball over in front of the net, while Merrimack went down and scored to start a 5-2 run to end the game to secure the win.
FLASH QUOTES
"This game was frustrating on many levels. We started off strong and played very well in the first quarter. Ultimately the difference in the game was in the second quarter. There were a series of mishaps that led to Merrimack taking the lead on a 4-0 scoring run. We never really recovered or regained the momentum after that. Losing CC in the third quarter to a second yellow card was a heart breaker. This is a tough and very disappointing loss for us."
- head coach Tracy Coyne
FLASH MOMENTS
The day started out great for the Red Flash despite the weather that consisted of rain, snow, sleet and sun at some point during the match.
Nancy Alden (New Lyme, Conn.) got the scoring started off
Chyler Espino's (San Francisco, Calif.) first career assist. After a Merrimack goal, McHenry (2:38) and Heidt (1:46) both scored unassisted to give Saint Francis a 3-1 edge after 15 minutes.
Trailing 7-3, the Red Flash strung together three unanswered goals. McHenry found
Catherine Russo (Wantagh, N.Y.) at 11:31 in the third quarter before
Christina Roncarati (East Long Meadow, Mass.) twinkled the twine off
Sophia Mellis' (Pittsburgh, Pa.) first career point 59 seconds later. McHenry then made it a one-goal game when she found the twine unassisted at 6:55 in the third quarter.
McHenry completed her third-straight four-goal performance with two goals in the final 15 minutes unassisted at 9:02 and with 56 seconds left in the game.
FLASH NUGGETS
McHenry, the current NEC Player of the Week, has registered 12 goals and seven assists in her last three games. She has posted a marker in every game this season and has tallied eight multi-goal performances this season. The senior moved into fourth place in career assists with 53 helpers and into eighth place with 119 career points. In addition, McHenry has 54 draw controls in 2022 to notch the fifth-most draw controls in the program's single-season history.
Enrique has posted double figures in saves six times this season and now has 319 career saves. She can move into fourth place on the program's career save list with nine saves.
Heidt, who is five points shy of reaching 100 points in her career, moved into eighth place in program history with 82 goals.
Roncarati also had three draw controls and two ground balls. She has scooped up three draw controls in a game for fifth time this season and ranks fourth on the team with 24 draws.
Alden has four goals and four assists for eight points this season including a goal and four assists in her last three tilts.
Espino posted two ground balls and a caused turnover to go along with her assist.
UP NEXT
Saint Francis will play three of its final four games on the road, starting with a two-game road trip against a pair of 2021 NEC Tournament participants. The Red Flash will play at Mount St. Mary's on Wednesday. Game time is 3 p.m.
