WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> It might have been a dreary day to play lacrosse, but the Saint Francis defense shined again. The defense helped the Red Flash to its fourth straight win while holding the opponent under 10 goals for a program-record fourth consecutive time. Saint Francis defeated Le Moyne 8-6 in Wednesday's Northeast Conference (NEC) women's lacrosse showdown.
>> Taylor Coughlin (Hespeler, Ontario) made a career-high 19 saves, the fifth-most in single-game program history. 
>> Bella Burke (East Moriches, N.Y.) and Olivia Baldini (Hamilton, Ontario) helped anchor the defense by combining for eight caused turnovers and seven ground balls. Burke registered five caused turnovers, which rank fourth in program single-game history, and had three ground balls, while Baldini had a career-high four ground balls and three caused miscues.
>> Coughlin and the staunch Saint Francis defense is allowing 7.0 goals per game during the four-game winning streak. 
>> Nancy Alden (East Lyme, Conn.) scored two goals, including the go-ahead score with 7:17 left in the third quarter. Julia Givens (Elverson, Pa.) also had two tallies on the day, with her second of two goals coming in the decisive 3-0 second-half run.
>> The Red Flash are 4-1 in NEC play for the first time in program history.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
The game started with 5-0 runs by both teams before Saint Francis recorded three-straight goals to take the lead it would not relinquish. After the Dolphins tied the match at 5 with 9:23 left in the third quarter, Alden took a pass from Danielle Hernandez (New Fairfield, Conn.) at 7:17 for a 6-5 edge. Givens then took a pass from Bella Fisher (Duxbury, Mass.) at the top of the key and then twinkled the twine for a two-goal lead at 6:26 in the third quarter. Alden then found the twine 26 seconds into the fourth quarter for an 8-5 lead. Le Moyne posted a goal with 2:03 left in the match but could get no closer the rest of the way.

FLASH QUOTE
"I'm just really proud of how we played. Our start laid the groundwork for the win. Taylor was amazing today. She made some incredible saves, and in the third quarter, when she came out of the cage and challenged for ground balls, she made such an impact. We made some adjustments in the third quarter, and the defense responded positively. Even though we made some mistakes at the end of the game, when we got the ball back and ran out the clock, that was a big. That showed how much we've learned about controlling situations when the game was on the line." – head coach Tracy Coyne on the game 

"We had some key losses from last year, and it took us a while to settle in and find our identity as this year's team. I think we worked through some of that. We really exploded against Merrimack, and this team has established themselves since then. We still have things to work on and situational things to improve. We are coming together and playing so much better as a team since the rocky start to the season." – Coyne on the progress of the team

FLASH MOMENTS
Saint Francis started the game by scoring five goals in the first quarter. Fisher began the scoring unassisted at 13:39 before Brooke Lacey (Bethel, Conn.) connected with Hernandez at 12:57 for a 2-0 lead. Lacey, the current NEC Defensive Player of the Week, found the back of the net unassisted at 12:04 and then helped Givens record her first tally with an assist at 8:55 to have a hand in three-straight scores. Hernandez capped the run by finding Victoria DiRenno (Suffern, N.Y.) for her first collegiate goal.

FLASH NUGGETS
Elyssa Enrique, who has five of the Top-10 save marks in single-game program history, was in attendance at the match. She was the last goalkeeper to have 19 or more saves in a game, with her 19 stops against Sacred Heart on March 25, 2023. It is the fifth time Coughlin has posted double figures in saves this season.

Like her former teammate Enrique in saves, Burke holds three Top-10 marks for caused turnovers. Along with her five caused miscues against Le Moyne, Burke tied Peyton LeConte's program record against Wagner on April 29, 2023, and also has four caused turnovers at Merrimack on April 8, 2023, and against FDU on April 12, 2023, which is the ninth most in team history. It is the second time Burke has grabbed at least three caused turnovers this season and the seventh time in her career.

Baldini tied her career best in ground balls with the one she established at Stetson on March 14, 2023, while her three caused miscues surpassed the two she had against the Hatters that day. It was also the third time this season she has recorded at least three ground balls and the fifth time in her career.

Alden notched her third multi-goal performance of the season and sixth of her career. Givens, who also had two ground balls and a caused turnover, tallied her seventh multi-goal performance of 2024 and 11th of her career.

Lacey, who had four caused turnovers in the 13-8 win at FDU on Saturday, dished out a career-high two assists and added a tally to record three points for the fourth time this season and the fifth time in her career.

Hernandez handed out two helpers for the fourth time this season and the 13th time in her career, and now has 48 assists. It was also the fourth time she has recorded at least three points and 21 times in her career this season. The senior now has 113 career points on her resume. 

Fisher had a team-high five draw controls and tied Hernandez with 75 career draw controls. The duo is three draw controls from the Top-10 in career draw controls, with teammate Chyler Espino (San Francisco, Calif.) sitting in the 10th spot with 78 draws. Fisher is also 11 goals from the Top-10 for career goals and 12 points from becoming the 13th player in team history with 100 points.

There were 14 goals scored on the day between the two teams, but 12 were scored on the video board side of the field at DeGol Field.

The four-game winning streak is the second longest in team history. Last season, the squad won six in a row to set the standard. The 2023 team opened league play 3-2 after five games to produce the best start before this year's 4-1 mark.
 
NEXT UP
Saint Francis returns to action on Saturday against CCSU. The game is at 1 p.m. The team will honor its seniors before the match.