MEDFORD, Mass. – Southern Vermont College took to the road to face off against a young Newbury College team for the first time ever Saturday afternoon, and the Mountaineers kept the hosts off the board to start the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) women's lacrosse schedule with a 23-0 win at Hormel Stadium.
SVC jumped out to a 6-0 lead in just the first five minutes of play and would extend that separation the rest of the way for the big Conference victory.
The clean sheet is Southern Vermont's first shutout in its now-third year of varsity action, and it helps improve the Mountaineers' record on the season to 2-1 (1-0 NECC). Saturday also saw SVC break its own single-game scoring record of 22.
Southern Vermont continues the league schedule on Wednesday in a rematch of the 2016 NECC semifinals when the Mountaineers visit Becker College for a 4 p.m. start.
SVC senior captain Lauren Nesshoever (Chittenden, Vt.) notched a game-high six goals while trying the match-best of six draw controls; she also had two ground balls and two caused turnovers in the win. Sophomore rookie Sofia Sorriento (Troy, N.Y.) had five goals, four draw controls, four ground balls and an assist while senior captain Emily Lesure (Cheshire, Mass.) registered four goals for the Mountaineers.
Fellow senior captain Mel Orrell (Gloucester, Mass.) added another six draw controls to tie Nesshoever, and she also had three goals and a game-best six ground balls; additionally, she recorded four assists to break SVC's all-time single-game record for helpers.
The Southern Vermont defense played extremely well—conceding just three shots on goal while tying its program record of 14 caused turnovers in a single contest. Sophomore Madi Carr (Petersham, Mass.) had four of those while junior keeper Kristiana Goldup (Schuylerville, N.Y.) turned away each of the Nighthawks' shots on frame for the win (2-1) in net.
Sorriento got the scoring going in the third minute of play when she took an Orrell dish and sent it into the back of the cage for the early advantage. The sophomore added another just 21 seconds later before Nesshoever potted consecutive goals for the 4-0 upper hand at the 26:24 mark.
Nesshoever's second started a string that saw a goal from each of six Mountaineers—sophomore Stephany Ferreira (Shelton, Conn.), junior Meagan McSweeney (East Falmouth, Mass.), and junior Paige Vitale (Port Jervis, N.Y.) all getting in on that stretch while Orrell notched her first of the day. Nesshoever and Sorriento both added two more before the halftime horn for SVC to go into the break ahead 13-0.
After Orrell found the back of the net just 38 seconds into the final 30 minutes, Sorriento slotted her ninth goal of the year on a free position shot. Junior Natalie Rose Canterbury (New Hartford, Conn.) assisted on back-to-back goals by Orrell and Lesure, and freshman Juliena D'Alessio (Berlin, N.Y.) registered her first collegiate score to make it a 20-point difference.
Vitale made the most of a free position shot to chalk up her second of the game and third of the year, and Orrell then fed Lesure for the senior captain's 11th of the 2017 campaign. Nesshoever capped the day to give Southern Vermont its most goals in single-game history as she scored an unassisted tally for her team-leading 12th of the season.
– #LetsGoSVC –