Loudonville, New York — On a day at Hickey Field on Saturday afternoon that broke records, nothing could stop the Siena women’s lacrosse team.
Not the snow, not the rain, not the sleet. And most definitely not MAAC rookie Rider, as the Saints put on a brilliant display in a 22-4 thumping to establish a program record for the greatest winning margin in the team’s 28-year existence.
There have been two earlier instances where the margin of victory was as great as 17 goals. With three seconds left, Sarah Irish’s goal increased the advantage to eighteen, guaranteeing that a new record would be established.
As a team, Siena (6-3, 1-0 MAAC) won 26 of 30 games, dominating almost every aspect of the contest and gaining an iron grip on the draw controls.
With fifteen draw controls in a game, senior Taryn Asselin set a new program record for most draw controls in a single game.
Asselin had already equaled the record in a victory against Le Moyne on March 2 and came close to breaking it on February 17 when she also scored 12 in an victory over Army West Point, which was ranked #18 at the time.
The Broncs (6-3, 0-1), who are just in their maiden season of women’s lacrosse, have started the season well and have one of the finest scorers in Katie Walsh, the MAAC’s top draw control player.
Walsh was limited to just two draw controls and one goal against the Saints, despite entering the game averaging 3.13 goals per game and almost seven draw controls.
In terms of scoring, junior Kelly Logue scored six points (three goals and three assists) to surpass the 100 points mark in her career, while junior Grace Dobrzynski led the Saints with an eight-point afternoon (two goals and a career-high six assists).
With two goals apiece from freshman Olivia Nicholson and senior Rebecca Gilhooley, Siena had a 7-1 lead at the half.
The Saints continued to press the offensive button, defeating the Broncs 6-2 in the second quarter to lead 13-3 at the break.
Throughout the second half, Siena did not let up, outscoring the Broncs 9-1.
The points column was boosted by twelve different Saints, including three players (Logue, Nicholson, and Gilhooley) with hat tricks.
Graduate student Jenna Colabufo achieved 50 for her Saints career and had a team-high four turnovers generated in defense.
Rider, second in the MAAC going into the game and averaging close to 15 goals per game, was limited to only nine shots, with just six of those going on goal.
In limiting its opponent’s scoring down to single digits in each of those five wins, Siena secured its fourth straight victory and its fifth in their previous six games.