WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> Despite a career-high five-goal performance by Nancy Alden (East Lyme, Conn.), Saint Francis drops an 18-12 decision to Kent State in non-conference women's lacrosse action on Wednesday.
>> Danielle Hernandez (New Fairfield, Conn.) added four assists. Bella Fisher (Duxbury, Mass.) and Lizzie Fisher (Hagerstown, Md.) each had two goals and an assist, and Julia Givens (Elverson, Pa.) also found the twine twice.
>> Bella Burke (East Moriches, N.Y.) had a career-high six draw controls, added two ground balls, and two caused turnovers, while Hernandez chipped in four draw controls, three ground balls, and a caused turnover.
 
TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
Like the Saturday game against LIU, Kent State jumped out to a 6-1 lead and never looked back to earn its second-straight win in Loretto against the Red Flash.

FLASH QUOTES
"All the credit goes to Kent State for coming out hot and playing so well in the first half. For us, the game was a tale of two distinctly different halves. It's too bad it took us so long to get started. Once we put our minds to it, we played excellent lacrosse. Unfortunately, we dug too deep of a hole in the first half to overcome the deficit. Some individuals helped spark our run in the second half. Nancy and Bella Burke played extremely well today. The draw was a huge problem in the first half. Makayla's draw placement in the second half gave us attacking opportunities that we lacked early in the game." – head coach Tracy Coyne on the game

"We're going to quickly shift our focus to beating Merrimack. It is a must-win game for us." – Coyne on moving forward to the next match

FLASH MOMENTS
Alden scored five times on the afternoon, starting with back-to-back tallies. The junior scored off a pass from fellow Nutmeg State resident Brooke Lacey (Bethel, Conn.) at 5:50 in the first quarter and then found the back of the net on Hernandez's first helper of the day at 11:53 in the second quarter. Alden completed her second hat trick of the season off a feeder from Lizzie Fisher at 5:12 in the third before taking a pass from Hernandez with 44 seconds left in the third. She notched her career-high fifth score unassisted with 4:18 left in the fourth quarter when she curled around the cage to twinkle the twine.

Lizzie Fisher recorded consecutive markers in the fourth quarter, first on a free-position goal at 8:44 and then off a connection from Hernandez with 4:44 left. Bella Fisher posted an 8-meter tally at 6:12 in the third quarter and then hit the back of the netting with a sidearm shovel goal with 12:32 remaining in the game.

Givens registered her first tally of the afternoon unassisted at 11:55 in the third quarter and then had the tally in the middle of two Alden goals off a Hernandez helper at 2:06 in the third.

Elizabeth Mahmud (Downingtown, Pa.) started the scoring for Saint Francis on the afternoon with her first collegiate goal off a Bella Fisher feeder at 10:53 in the first quarter.

FLASH NUGGETS
Alden joins Bella Fisher and Lizzie Fisher as the only players on the team to score five times in one game. Alden registered her third game with at least three tallies in a match and the second time this season. The junior, who registered nine goals and four assists in her first two seasons, has nine markers and two assists for 11 points this season.

Hernandez, who dished out the fourth-most assists in a single game with five helpers against Stonehill on April 1, 2023, recorded four assists on Wednesday to sit in a 13-way tie for the 10 most assists in a single game. The senior notched her second four-helper performance after having four dimes against Stetson on March 14, 2023. Hernandez becomes the fourth player in program history to have at least three matches with four assists in a game, joining former teammate Autumn McHenry, Sheri Fort, and Katie Schaaf. Fort and McHenry also had three games with that total, while Schaaf turned the trick seven times. She also moved into the Top 10 in points and tied former teammate Amanda Heidt with 106 points.

Bella Fisher has posted multi-goal performances and an assist in six of the seven games this season and registered at least three points for the fourth time. She has at least two goals in 15 of her 22 games and posted at least three points in 12 matches in her career. 

Lizzie Fisher posted her fifth multi-goal performance in her last six games and three points four times this season. For her career, the graduate student has recorded 18 multi-goal performances and 12 games with at least three points.

Givens notched her fifth multi-goal performance this season and ninth time in her career.

Burke bested her career-high in draw controls with six after posting four at CCSU on April 1, 2023. It is the 15th time in her career that she has grabbed two ground balls and 10th time with at least two caused turnovers.

Taylor Coughlin (Hespeler, Ontario) made nine saves for Saint Francis.
 
NEXT UP
The Red Flash concludes its three-game homestand against Merrimack on Saturday. Game time is 1 p.m.