DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. – Powered by a game-high four goals and five points from junior Riley Wallace (Islip, N.Y./Islip), the No. 25 Mercy University Women's Lacrosse Team earned a 15-10 win over Bentley University in their home opener on Wednesday afternoon at Mercy Field.
The Mavericks (4-0) start 4-0 for the first time since 2019 and defeat the Falcons (1-2) for the first time since 2023. The five-goal margin of victory is Mercy's largest against Bentley.
The game began with sophomore Ashlinn Kelly (Farmingdale, N.Y./Farmingdale) securing the draw control and quickly capitalizing on a free position attempt to put Mercy on the board early. Senior Olivia LaMonica (Oak Ridge, N.J./Jefferson Township) made a key save shortly after, enabling Wallace to find the net with an assist from senior Andrea Mott (Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place), extending Mercy's advantage to 2-0.
Midway through the quarter, freshman Ava Franco (Coram, N.Y./Longwood) scored, increasing Mercy's lead to 3-0. Although Bentley responded with a goal, Franco, assisted again by Mott, added another during a woman-up situation, giving the Mavericks a 4-1 lead with 5:06 left in the quarter.
Bentley closed the gap with two goals before the end of the quarter, including one from a free position shot, but Mercy held a slim 4-3 lead as the first quarter concluded.
Mercy opened the second quarter with a defensive stand as LaMonica made crucial saves, maintaining the team's momentum from earlier. Mercy capitalized offensively with freshman Jessica Grzelaczyk (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) scoring off an assist from Wallace, bringing the score to 5-3.
Bentley responded quickly, with a goal from Natalia Dutkewych to make it 5-4. Sophomore Angela Taddeo (Babylon, N.Y./Stony Brook University) found the net with help from Franco, pushing the score to 6-4. Julia Schreiber scored at the 5:30 mark to make it 6-5.
Wallace further extended Mercy's advantage with a goal assisted by Mott, bringing the score to 7-5. Bentley managed a late-quarter goal by Callie Burchill, narrowing the margin to 7-6 at halftime.
An Emilie Bobola goal at the 11:43 mark of the third quarter tied the game at 7-7. Sophomore Kayden Meyer (Mastic, N.Y./William Floyd) scored to put Mercy ahead, followed by goals from Wallace and Taddeo, putting the Mavericks up, 10-7, with 7:00 left in the quarter. Bentley managed to respond with a goal, but Mercy quickly regained control with another goal from Meyer, assisted by Grzelaczyk, extending the lead further.
As the quarter progressed, Mercy maintained its offensive pressure. Taddeo found the net again with assistance from Franco, and Kelly converted a free position shot to close out the quarter. Mercy dominated the third quarter, closing with a 13-8 lead.
Dutkewych scored a woman-up goal at the 13:46 mark of the fourth quarter to make it 13-9. Schreiber added another woman-up goal with 9:59 left to make it 13-10. At 5:41, Wallace capitalized on an assist from Kelly to score, giving Mercy a 14-10 lead.
Later in the quarter, Kelly converted a free position shot at 3:50, extending the Mavericks' lead to 15-10. LaMonica continued to be a key defensive presence, saving another free position shot by Bentley's Caroline Jadul with 1:40 remaining. Mercy managed the clock effectively in the closing minutes, sustaining its lead and closing the game with a 15-10 victory.
Mercy was led by Wallace who had a game-high four goals and five points with two caused turnovers, four ground balls and two draw controls. Kelly had three goals, an assist, nine draw controls, two caused turnovers and two ground balls and Taddeo added three goals. Franco recorded two goals and two assists and Meyer contributed two goals, two caused turnovers and two ground balls. Mott had a game-high three assists with four ground balls and Grzelaczyk had a goal and an assist. Junior Juliana Talenti (Bethpage, N.Y./Bethpage) produced an assist and LaMonica made a game-high-tying 11 saves to go with two caused turnovers and four ground balls in 54:30 minutes of action to earn the win.
Dutkewych led Bentley with four goals. Burchill contributed significantly with three goals. In goal, Annika Sallila recorded 11 saves to take the loss.
Mercy held a 40-27 edge in shots, a 22-20 edge in ground balls and an 18-9 edge in draw controls.
Head Coach Dawn Sachs and the Mavericks resume action on Saturday, March 7th when they host No. 5 Tampa at 11 a.m.
