DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. – Powered by 13 different Mavericks recording a point, the No. 18 Mercy University Women's Lacrosse Team earned a 20-2 win over ECC foe University of the District of Columbia on Saturday afternoon at Mercy Field.
The Mavericks (12-3, 5-0 ECC) have won three of their last four games and improve to 11-0 all-time against the Firebirds (0-10, 0-6 ECC).
Mercy opened the first quarter with decisive control, starting with a draw control by freshman Ava Franco (Coram, N.Y./Longwood). Sophomore Ashlinn Kelly (Farmingdale, N.Y./Farmingdale) quickly capitalized with a goal at 14:11, assisted by freshman Jessica Grzelaczyk (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford). Mercy maintained momentum with junior Juliana Talenti (Bethpage, N.Y./Bethpage) scoring three goals and Grzelaczyk adding two more, all within the first five minutes, to give Mercy a 6-0 lead.
The Mavericks continued their offensive prowess, with junior Riley Wallace (Islip, N.Y./Islip) and senior Andrea Mott (Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place) each finding the net, assisted by Franco and Kelly, respectively, to make it 8-0.
Sophomore Angela Taddeo (Babylon, N.Y./Stony Brook University) and Kelly closed the quarter with additional goals, as Mercy expanded its lead to 10-0 by the end of the first quarter.
Mercy began the second quarter with a strong defensive play as freshman Brielle Bilello (Hauppauge, N.Y./Hauppauge) forced a turnover, setting the stage for a series of successful plays. Wallace opened the scoring with a goal at 11:08, assisted by sophomore Dakota Dieumegard (Islip, N.Y./Islip). Shortly after, sophomore Kayden Meyer (Mastic, N.Y./William Floyd) extended the lead to 12-0 with another goal, again with an assist from Dieumegard.
Mercy capitalized on a woman-up opportunity when Bilello scored at 6:10, maintaining their offensive momentum. Dieumegard continued her playmaking role, assisting graduate student Kate McNally's (Hillburn, N.Y./SUNY Oswego) goal at 2:09. Mercy closed the quarter with a commanding 14–0 lead over the District of Columbia, highlighting their effective teamwork and scoring efficiency.
Mercy began the third quarter with a strong offensive push as freshman Sophia Pittoni (Carle Place, N.Y./Carle Place) scored at 13:45, assisted by Franco. Bilello followed with another goal at 12:31, assisted by Pittoni, extending Mercy's lead to 16-0. Jada Williams broke the shutout with a goal at 10:01 to make it 16-1.
McNally capitalized on Mercy's continued offensive pressure, adding another score at 8:11 with an assist from Meyer. Senior Maeghan Callow (Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) and Grzelaczyk each added goals, further widening the gap to 19-1, with assists from Pittoni and Dieumegard, respectively. Mercy effectively controlled the quarter, ending with a commanding 19–1 lead.
Williams made it 19-2 at 10:55 with her second goal of the day. However, Mercy's persistence paid off when Kelly found the back of the net, assisted by Pittoni, late in the quarter, giving the Mavericks the 20-2 win.
Mercy was led by Grzelaczyk, Talenti and Kelly who all had three goals and two assists. Franco added five assists and Dieumegard had a career-high five assists and five points. Pittoni recorded a career-high four points on a goal and three assists and Bilello had a career-high two goals with six draw controls. Wallace added two goals and six draw controls and Meyer recorded a goal and an assist. Meyer recorded her 100th career point. McNally produced two goals and two caused turnovers and Taddeo, Mott and Callow each added a goal. Senior Emily Marino (West Babylon, N.Y./West Babylon) had a game-high three caused turnovers and freshman Emma Batter (Port Jefferson, N.Y./Port Jefferson) played the first quarter in goal without allowing a goal to earn the win. Sophomore Liz Byrne (North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) played the second quarter in goal without allowing a goal. Junior Olivia Bradley (Commack, N.Y./Commack) made one save in the third quarter and senior Olivia LaMonica (Oak Ridge, N.J./Jefferson Township) made two saves in the fourth quarter.
UDC was led by Williams who had a team-high two goals and four draw controls. Natalia Perkins made 14 saves to take the loss.
Mercy held a 40-6 edge in shots, a 16-5 edge in ground balls and a 20-4 edge in draw controls.
Head Coach Dawn Sachs and the Mavericks resume action on Saturday, April 25th when they host D'Youville for Senior Day at 11 a.m.
