WORCESTER, Mass. – Powered by a game-high five goals from sophomore Kayden Meyer (Mastic, N.Y./William Floyd) and a game-high 13 saves from senior Olivia LaMonica (Oak Ridge, N.J./Jefferson Township), the RV Mercy University Women's Lacrosse Team earned a 13-11 win at Assumption University on Saturday afternoon at Brian Kelly Stadium.
The Mavericks (3-0) start 3-0 for the first time since 2020 and defeat the Greyhounds (0-1) for the second straight year. Mercy wins at Assumption for the first time since 2022.
The game began with LaMonica in goal, quickly making a key save against Assumption's early attack. Assumption took control with an initial goal by Aleigh Thompson, assisted by Margaret Loeber, followed by another from Kyle Johnston, making it 2-0. Mercy responded through Meyer, who scored off an assist from freshman Ava Franco (Coram, N.Y./Longwood), narrowing the deficit to 2-1.
As the first quarter progressed, LaMonica's goalkeeping kept Mercy in contention with multiple crucial saves. Despite efforts from both teams, including turnovers and ground ball recoveries, neither side was able to change the scoreboard further. The quarter ended with Mercy trailing Assumption, 2-1.
Assumption scored the first two goals of the second quarter to take a 4-1 lead with 11:10 left in the half. Meyer quickly turned the tide by scoring twice, the first at 10:13 with an assist from freshman Jessica Grzelaczyk (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford). Meyer's third goal of the game at 8:28, assisted by sophomore Ashlinn Kelly (Farmingdale, N.Y./Farmingdale), cut the Assumption lead to one, 4-3. An Emily Keefe goal for the Greyhounds with 7:51 on the clock gave the hosts a 5-3 lead.
Grzelaczyk started Mercy's scoring run, netting a goal at 6:28 and a woman-up goal at 5:02, both assisted by senior Andrea Mott (Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place), tying the score at 5-5. Kelly's goal at 3:50 gave the Mavericks a 6-5 lead. Morgan Bolduc evened the score at 6-6 with 2:37 on the clock.
Meyer closed the quarter with back-to-back goals, the final one assisted by Grzelaczyk, giving the Mavericks an 8-6 lead at halftime.
Mercy began the third quarter with a significant shift in momentum. Junior Riley Wallace (Islip, N.Y./Islip) scored early at 13:27 to put the Mavericks up three, 9-6. A Johnston goal later made it 9-7 before a woman-up goal from Mott, assisted by Wallace, gave Mercy a 10-7 lead with 8:52 on the clock. Wallace and sophomore Angela Taddeo (Babylon, N.Y./Stony Brook University) continued the scoring with back-to-back goals to give the Mavericks a game-high five goal lead, 12-7, with 3:00 left in the quarter. A late Annie Ettenhofer goal cut Mercy's lead to 12-8 at the end of the third quarter.
Mercy began the fourth quarter with a quick goal at 14:36 by Mott, assisted by Franco, extending its lead to 13-8. Assumption scored the game's final three goals to make it 13-11, but the Mavericks defense held the Greyhounds without a shot for the final 3:37 to earn the win.
Meyer led Mercy with a game-high five goals and two caused turnovers. Wallace contributed significantly with two goals and an assist and Taddeo recorded one goal. Grzelaczyk was pivotal in distribution, recording two goals and a game-high three assists and Mott added two goals and two assists. Kelly added a goal, an assist, four ground balls and three draw controls. Franco dished out two assists and LaMonica made a game-high 13 saves to earn the win.
Johnston led Assumption with three goals and Madeleine Estes made three saves in 33:25 minutes of action to take the loss.
Assumption held a 29-27 edge in shots, ground balls were tied at 16-16 and Assumption held a 13-12 edge in draw controls.
Head Coach Dawn Sachs and the Mavericks resume action on Wednesday, March 4th when they host Bentley in their home opener at 3 p.m.
