WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> Senior Day is an event to recognize the accomplishments a player has accumulated over her career. Senior Danielle Hernandez (New Fairfield, Conn.) made the most of her Senior Day by tying her career high with four goals and added three assists and continued to etch her name in the team's record book by becoming the sixth player in team history to dish out 50 assists in her career in a 16-5 win against Central Connecticut State in Northeast Conference (NEC) women's lacrosse action on Saturday.
>> Lizzie Fisher (Hagerstown, Md.) (two goals), Tori Petrie (Whitney Point, N.Y.) (one goal), Erika Ellison (Everett, Wash.) (two ground balls), and Holly Jones (Newark, Del.) (one ground ball, one caused turnover) also contributed to the Red Flash victory.
>> While the day was about the seniors, goalkeeper Taylor Coughlin (Hespler, Ontario) continued to be impressive in the cage. She made 15 saves while allowing a career-low five goals to finish her week with 34 stops and 5.5 goals per game allowed.
>> Brooke Lacey (Bethel, Conn.) collected two goals and two assists, while Nancy Alden (East Lyme, Conn.) added a marker and two assists in the winning effort.
>> Saint Francis moved into a three-way tie for first place in the NEC with a 5-1 record after its fifth-straight win.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
After the Blue Devils scored the day's first goal, the Red Flash answered with the next eight goals to take an 8-1 advantage at halftime. On a day for the seniors, freshman Elizabeth Mahmud (Downingtown, Pa.) started the run with an 8-meter goal at 8:26 before Hernandez gave the Red Flash the lead for good unassisted at 7:54. The senior then connected with Lizzie Fisher at 5:02 for a 3-1 lead after the first quarter.

Lacey started a five-tally second quarter when she twinkled the twine off a pass from Bella Fisher (Duxbury, Mass.) at 11:10. The rest of the half was the Hernandez show. Alden set up Hernandez at 7:13 before Hernandez found the back of the net unassisted at 5:12. The senior then set up Julia Givens (Elverson, Pa.) at 3:34 before Lacey connected with Hernandez to give the senior four goals and two assists through 30 minutes.

FLASH QUOTE
"We got locked in the second quarter and played much better to establish the lead. It was a great team win. Anytime you can clear the bench and maintain a standard says a lot about the program." – head coach Tracy Coyne on the win

"I've been blessed to have the opportunity to work with these seniors even though I didn't recruit them. They bought into my philosophy and have raised the program's standard together. It's exciting to see what we are accomplishing, and we believe there is an opportunity to do something amazing. They are a resilient group and have shown perseverance through injuries. They have been good role models. Their willingness to embrace the strengths of the underclassmen and allow their gifts to shine has led to our success." – Coyne on the seniors

FLASH MOMENTS
Hernandez recorded her third helper of the day at 13:45 when she fed Alden. Victoria DiRenno (Suffern, N.Y.), who had her first career goal in the 8-6 win against Le Moyne on Wednesday, converted a free-position attempt at 8:21. Jacks Lesmeister (Houston, Texas) took a cue from DiRenno and hit the back of the cage on an 8-meter goal for her first career goal at 5:11 in the third quarter to help the Red Flash to a 11-4 lead after three quarters.

Saint Francis then concluded the game with its second 5-0 run in the final 10 minutes, capping a 16-5 win on Senior Day.

Lizzie Fisher started the run after she intercepted a ball from the CCSU netminder and twinkled the twine for the second time on the afternoon at 9:34 in the fourth quarter. Christina Roncarati (East Longmeadow, Mass.) scored for the second time this season off a connection from Givens at 8:28 before Lacey converted an 8-meter goal at 4:37. Lacey then helped Petrie have a memorable Senior Day when she found Petrie for her first goal of the season 14 seconds later. Makayla Murray (Bow, N.H.) added her first tally of the season off a pass from Alden at 2:09 to seal the win for the Red Flash.

FLASH NUGGETS
Hernandez moved into ninth place in program history with 119 points and moved within two assists of fifth place for helpers, sitting at 51. Hernandez tied her career high for goals in a game with four scores for the fifth time in her career and the first time since she had four tallies against St. Bonaventure on April 19, 2023. Hernandez, one of four players in team history to dish out four assists in three matches, dished out three assists for the fifth time in her career.

In the last five games, Coughlin has not allowed more than eight goals, and the five goals on Saturday are the fewest allowed in her career. Five straight games holding a team under 10 goals is a program record. The 15 saves are the second most stops in a game in her career to her 19 saves against Le Moyne on Wednesday.

Lacey finished the day with two goals and two assists. The sophomore matched her career-high of two assists she first established against Le Moyne and tied her career-high with four points for the second time in her last three games. Her two goals were the fourth of the season and the fifth of her career. Alden had a goal and two assists to notch two assists in a game for the third time this season and fourth of her career, and had three points for the fourth time this season and fifth of her career. Alden also had a career-high three ground balls for the first time this season and the fourth time in her career.

Mahmud also had a career-high three ground balls to tie Alden for the team lead in the category. Bella Burke (East Moriches, N.Y.), who had four caused turnovers and three ground balls on Wednesday, recorded two caused turnovers on Saturday. 

Along with her goal, Petrie had a career-high two caused turnovers on Senior Day. Lizzie Fisher had two goals in a match for the 17th time in her career.

With the win, the Red Flash has won five in a row, the second-longest streak in program history after last year's six-game streak at the end of the year. The five wins in NEC play tie the most wins in team history with the 2023 team, and the 5-1 start is the best league start in program history.
 
NEXT UP
Saint Francis will embark on a three-game road trip, starting at Delaware State on Wednesday. The Hornets joined the league as an associate member in women's lacrosse this season. Game time is 2 p.m.