No. 16 New Hampshire Downs Women's Lacrosse

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Durham, N.H. – Sarah Von Bargen tallied a season-high five goals, all in the first half, in leading New Hampshire to a 17-7 America East Conference victory over UAlbany on Wednesday, April 16 at Memorial Field. The Wildcats, who are ranked No. 16 in the latest IWLCA national poll, locked up the third seed for next week’s postseason conference tournament.

Von Bargen, a junior attacker, scored three times midway through the first half to stake her team to a 6-0 lead. She won the opening draw and hit the net on a free-position shot with 27 seconds elapsed in the contest. Von Bargen, who has 29 goals on the season, added her second of the game off a feed from Ashley Durepo following a successful clear.

UAlbany (8-7, AE 2-3) sliced that deficit in half with three unanswered. Freshman Jodi Battaglia converted a pair of free-position opportunities in that span. Brittany Scott, a senior midfielder, also scored after teammate Kayla Best controlled a draw and passed ahead.

The Great Danes, who have dropped all 10 meetings in the series, still trailed 9-5 after Molly Ortolano netted the first of her two goals. But New Hampshire (11-4, AE 4-2) struck twice in the final two minutes of the period. Von Bargen scored unassisted, before Shaunna Kaplan added her 23rd of the season with 55 seconds left before the break.

The Wildcats, who were coming off a pair of one-goal losses after winning nine in a row, ran off three consecutive goals to begin the second half. Susie Piotrkowksi scored twice, while Michaela Hardy found the cage with one of her four goals following a UAlbany turnover.

Best, a sophomore midfielder, had two goals and one assist for the Great Danes, who must defeat Stony Brook in their regular-season finale on Saturday in order to earn a place in the America East tournament. Best extended her goal scoring streak to 28 consecutive games, the sixth-best mark among Division I players. UNH’s Kaplan finished with four goals and one assist.

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#16 New Hampshire 17, UAlbany 7

UAlbany – Scoring: Kayla Best 2-1, Jodi Battaglia 2-0, Molly Ortolano 2-0, Brittany Scott 1-0, Stacey Brown 0-1; Goalkeeper(s): Katie Neer (60:00, 10 saves, 17 GA).

New Hampshire – Scoring: Sarah Von Bargen 5-1, Shaunna Kaplan 4-1, Michaela Hardy 4-0, Susie Piotrkowski 2-0, Moira Talbot 1-1, Ashley Durepo 1-1, Goalkeeper(s): Ashley Milley (60:00, 10 saves, 7 GA).