Wheelock Outlasts Lady AMCATS

BOSTON, MA – Sophomore attacker Emma Marrs (Old Lyme, CT) and junior midfielder Katie Gavin (Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA) each tallied 14 points to set a school record in leading the Wheelock College women's lacrosse team to a 26-15 victory over visiting Anna Maria College this evening at Winsor Field in Boston, MA.  The Wildcats improve to 2-6 on the season for their highest win total in the three-year history of the program, while the AMCATS fall to 0-8.

Marrs and Gavin traded the school mark for points throughout the night, which was fitting since they both shared the standard of 10 coming into the match.  Gavin also broke her own program record for goals in a game with a total of 11, while Marrs' six assists topped her own Wheelock record for helpers in a game.

Freshman midfielder Kylie Dalbec (Portland, ME) found the back of the net for Anna Maria at the 10:13 mark of the first half and senior middie Sandy Acosta (Lawrence, MA) followed with another goal just 15 seconds later to pull the AMCATS even at 7-7 with 9:58 showing in the first half.  It would be as close as they would get for the rest of the night as the Wildcats scored the final five goals of the half, including three from Gavin and a pair from Marrs to take a 12-7 halftime lead.

Gavin scored the first goal of the second half with 28:04 to go in the period for her third straight score and a 13-7 lead for the home team.  Anna Maria answered with three straight goals thanks to a tally from freshman midfielder Katherine Landanno (Winchendon, MA) and two more from Acosta to cut the deficit to 13-10 for the AMCATS with just under six minutes gone in the period.  Gavin and Acosta traded goals to keep it a three-goal margin at 14-11, before senior middie Despina Savvoulides (Norwalk, CT) and Marrs each scored man down goals to increase the Wheelock lead to 16-11 with 17:47 remaining in the contest.  Landanno, Dalbec and freshman attacker Emily Adriaansen (Pepperell, MA) each found the back of the net in a span of 51 seconds to pull Anna Maria to within 16-14 with 15:33 to play in the match, but the Wildcats closed out the contest by scoring 10 of the final 11 goals to put the game away.  Marrs scored four times, while Gavin and Savvoulides each tallied three goals apiece in the final 15 minutes of play.  Acosta scored the AMCATS' final marker of the night to give her six scores for the game and a team-leading 17 for the season.

Savvoulides wasted no time in getting Wheelock on the board with a goal coming just 13 seconds after the opening draw, while Gavin gave the home team a 2-0 lead.  Anna Maria came right back with three unanswered goals to from Acosta, Adriaansen and Dalbec to take a 3-2 edge with 23:31 left in the first half.  The Wildcats called time out, which sparked a four-goal run, started by junior midfielder Christina Cubera's (Baltimore, MD) fifth goal of the year to knot the score at 3-3.  Gavin scored the next two goals and Marrs followed with a goal of her own to give Wheelock a 6-3 cushion with 17:42 to go in the first half.  Dalbec and Adriaansen kept the AMCATS close with a goal each, before sophomore midfielder Molly Centore (Kennebunk, ME) found the back of the net to give the Wildcats a 7-5 lead. 

Gavin and Marrs each picked up a pair of ground balls on the night as well for Wheelock, while Centore scooped up a school-record nine ground balls to go with seven caused turnovers, six draw controls and three points.  Savvoulides finished with a career-high six points on five goals and an assist in addition to three draw controls and a ground ball.  Acosta led Anna Maria with seven points and added six draw controls and three ground balls.  Dalbec tallied four goals, won a game-high 10 draw controls, picked up four ground balls and caused a pair of turnovers, while Adriaansen scored three times. 

Sophomore Erika Belmore (Mattapoisett, MA) made four saves to earn the victory for the Wildcats, while freshman Shannon Donovan (Marlborough, MA) stopped 11 shots for the AMCATS.

Wheelock will be in action again on Saturday, April 13 when it hosts New England Collegiate Conference foe Regis College at 2:00 p.m., while Anna Maria travels to Standish, ME on the same day to take on St. Joseph's College at 1:00 p.m.