ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Mar. 19, 2016) - Riding a three-game winning streak into the end of winter and arrival of spring, the Molloy College women's lacrosse team is starting off the 2016 campaign with an impressive 5-2 record through seven contests. Game eight of the season takes the squad to Bridgeport Saturday night (Mar. 19) for the chance to go 2-for-2 in East Coast Conference match-ups as the Lions face the Purple Knights of Bridgeport.
About the Lions- Molloy's 5-2 record is due to a combination of highly-efficient offense and stellar defensive combinations with an equally impressive goalie. Leading the Lions in points is graduate attacker
Meghan Orlando (Hicksville, N.Y.) whose seven goals and 20 assists give her a total of 27 points, the third-highest point total in the East Coast Conference so far. The Lions have a showcase of depth and brilliance in the midfield, with
Cooper Sesselman (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) scoring a team-high 21 points and freshman sensation
Brianna Wilson (Levittown, N.Y.) scoring 19 goals and winning a squad-best 31 draw controls.
- Junior attacker
Alexa Watson (North Massapequa, N.Y.) has scored nine goals in her last five games and 12 points in the Lions' most recent four contests. Watson's 10 goals and 16 points are among the top-five on the team this season.
- The defensive unit for the Lions is led by seniors
Caitlin Caiazza (Melville, N.Y.) and
Chelsea Bauer (Hicksville, N.Y.) and the group as a whole has been instrumental in the Lions' positive results thus far. Opponents are averaging less than 10 goals per contest against the maroon and white because of good marking skills shown by the Lions, and a spectacular start to the season for red-shirt junior goalie
Caroline Winters (Baldwin, N.Y.). Winters has received the decision in all seven contests thus far, attaining a 5-2 record with a 9.67 goals-against average and a .550 save percentage. Her 71 total saves is still the standard among all cage defenders in the East Coast Conference.
Concerning the Purple Knights- Allyson Howard's first year as the head coach of Bridgeport's women's lacrosse program has featured marginal results, in that the Purple Knights have played just three contests so far. In those games, UB is 1-2 with a 13-4 win over Caldwell as the squad's lone positive result.
- Senior goalkeeper Megan Carney (Norwalk, Conn.) has faced a veritable barrage of shots so far through three contests, obtaining a 12.67 goals-against average and a .433 save percentage in all games played.
- The offense is led by second-year middie Abigail Benesh (Horseheads, N.Y.) who has a team-high seven goals and ten points. Meanwhile, junior defender Lauren Mengel (Gilbertsville, Pa.) is maybe the team's best all-around player; Mengel has two goals, and team highs in ground balls (11), draw controls (15) and caused turnovers (10).
Recent Results2015: Molloy 10, Bridgeport 6
2014: Molloy 15. Bridgeport 8
2013: Molloy 16, Bridgeport 2
2012: Molloy 21, Bridgeport 11
2011: Molloy 24, Bridgeport 7
