St. John Fisher Dominates Vassar for Second Win
The St. John Fisher College women’s lacrosse team improved to 2-0 by defeating Vassar College 20-9 in West Palm Beach, FL on Friday morning. With the win, Fisher returns to New York 2-0, with the Cardinals winning over Spring Break for the first time since 2008.
The Cardinals were led by Taylor Hughes and Melissa Leonhard who both recorded seven points on the day, with Hughes scoring six goals and an assist and Leonhard adding five goals and two assists.
Fisher jumped to an early 5-1 lead just seven minutes into the game but Vassar rallied by scoring three-straight to cut the Cardinal lead to a single goal at 5-4. Bridget Alberts then scored for Fisher, followed by Leonhard’s third of the day to increase the team’s lead to 7-4.
Vassar added the next goal, but Fisher went on a seven-goal streak that started at the 20:50 mark of the first half and crossed into the 5:17 mark of the second half. Hughes scored three of her goals during the span, including an unassisted goal with three seconds left in the first half.
The Cardinals went into the half leading 12-5, and outscored Vassar 8-4 in the second half to take the commanding victory over the Brewers.
Fisher was aided by its dominance in the draw circle, grabbing 20 draw controls to Vassar’s 10. Leonhard single-handedly led the Cardinals over the Brewers, snagging 11 draws by herself.
Molly Naylon played all 60 minutes in cage, picking up her second win of the season behind 10 saves. The Cardinals chased not only one, but two Vassar keepers from between the pipes and shot 59% in the contest.
Freshman Erin Ward finished with a career-high five points with two goals and three assists, while Alberts added three points on two goals and an assist. Jill Zerrillo, Emily Bryerton, Kristina Lombard, Tori Suto and Shannon McDermott all added goals for Fisher.