Morrisville State women dominate in NEAC opener, cruise to 20-5 win

Recap, photo courtesy of Morrisville State College

PALMYRA, PA – Visiting Morrisville State College women's lacrosse rolled to a North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) opening win as they dominated host Lancaster Bible College 20-5 in Palmyra, Pennsylvania, notching their first victory of the 2018 season, and making a statement within conference play.

Senior Gianna Branca (Camillus, N.Y.) posted a career high 16 points in the contest, netting four goals and assisting a record-breaking 12, five alone to junior attack Courtney Cavellier (Rodman, N.Y.) who put away seven goals on the day.

Jillian Hughes (Brookfield, N.Y.) added a hat trick, netting three goals and adding an assist while five additional teammates posted scores on the day.

Marissa Woodard (Unadilla, N.Y.) collected her first collegiate win between the pipes, making nine saves in 51 minutes of action. She also picked up a team high three ground balls, along with Lexi Firkins (Brockport, N.Y.).

Branca and Cavellier combined for nine of the teams 13 draw controls, with Cavellier also contributing three caused turnovers.

Sara Gelster (Hamburg, N.Y.) also appeared in net, making one save in the final nine minutes of action.

Morrisville State outgained the hosts right out of the gate, netting the first six scores within the opening seven minutes of the contest. The Mustangs struck twice within the opening minute, both from Cavellier as Hughes made the connection 33 seconds in and Branca collecting her first assist 25 seconds later off the draw control win.

Lancaster Bible posted two straight to get on the board, but Morrisville State rolled to a 14-2 lead at the break as they put together an 8-0 response to the Chargers tallies.

In the second, the Mustangs continued where they left off, adding to their lead with four additional goals, before rounding out the contest with two more for the commanding 20-5 win.

Morrisville State returns to the field Tuesday, hosting Fredonia at 5 p.m. on Drake Field in Morrisville.

Morrisville State College's curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.

The college was ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2018 issue and was also recognized in the Top Public Schools, Regional Colleges North in the 2018 Best Colleges rankings. For more information about Morrisville State College, visit www.morrisville.edu.