Box Score MANSFIELD, Conn. – Courtney Gendels, Athena Vogiatzis and Emily Piciullo combined for 13 goals and Danielle Hall won five draws to pace the Farmingdale State College women's lacrosse team to a 19-9 non-conference win over Eastern Connecticut State University in the Warriors' home-opener Saturday afternoon at Rick McCarthy Field.
Junior midfielder Tristan Kijak (Windsor) and freshman midfielder Mackenzie Shrewsbury (Sprague) won the opening two draws for Eastern (1-2) and junior attack Sydney Hogan (Northford) and first-year sophomore midfielder Cassie Bennett (Milford) converted the team's first two shots to give Eastern a quick 2-0 lead two minutes into play before Farmingdale (1-3) responded with five consecutive goals and outscored Eastern 13-2 the rest of the half to move out to a nine-goal lead at halftime.
Vogiatzis scored three consecutive goals of her four in the game in that early run of five straight goals, two coming on free-position attempts. Her first goal in that stretch gave the Rams the lead for good, 3-2, four minutes into action.
The Rams put space between themselves and Eastern in the final minutes of the first half. Leading 8-4 following Kristen Shine's first goal of the year, Farmingdale struck for five goals in the final seven minutes of the half – two coming in 40 seconds and two more in a span of 17 seconds that all but settled the outcome.
The Warriors opened the second half with a goal by freshman attack Ally Kehlenbach (Old Saybrook) and two more by Kijak in just over two minutes – their only run of more than two consecutive goals – to cut the gap to seven. Eastern had a chance to cut deeper into the deficit when Shrewsbury won the ensuing draw – one of her game-high six -- but Farmingdale senior goalie Emily Rodier made a save on a shot by Hogan, and after Eastern turned the ball over, Farmingdale went the distance of the field and Piciullo potted her team-leading 12th goal to restore an eight-game lead six minutes into the half.
Three of Farmingdale's final four goals came in man-up situations as the Warriors were assessed four yellow cards in the second half.
Rodier needed only five saves for her first win of the year, while Eastern freshmen Sarah Gallagher (South Windsor) and Nicole Gaston (West Haven) combined to play the final 46 minutes in relief of senior starter Sarah Farag (Holmdel, NJ). In her debut, Gallagher took over with Eastern trailing by four goals 14 minutes into the game, and stopped ten shots in 31 minutes before Gaston played the final15 shutout minutes with two saves.
Gendels led all players in the game with five goals, Vogiatzis and Piciullo adding four each. Piciullo caused five turnovers.
Kijak, Eastern's team leader in most every category, had four goals to give her 12 on the year. Five players – three of them newcomers – added one goal each for Eastern. Hogan had a goal and three assists to give her a team-high seven assists this year.
In addition to Shrewsbury's six draws, Kijak won four and caused three turnovers.
Eastern hosts Mitchell College Wednesday at 3 p.m. in a non-conference match.
