DELAND, Fla. – The Niagara women’s lacrosse team wrapped up a three-game road trip at 2-1 by securing a 16-14 win against the Stetson Hatters on Friday afternoon. Grace Hunt tied her season- and career-high with seven points, leading the Purple Eagles with two goals and five assists. Alexandra Higgins set a career-high with 11 draw controls as Niagara held a commanding 25-7 advantage in that category.
Niagara opened the game on a 3-1 run with goals by Alexis Morales, Rachel MacCheyne, and Grace Hunt, but the Hatters came back to take a 4-3 lead with just over 14 minutes left in the first period. Shea Swartwout’s first career goal tied the game for Niagara at the 13:15 mark and keyed a three-goal run, as MacCheyne and Caroline Crump tallied Purple Eagles goals to make it a 6-4 Niagara lead. Stetson came back to tie the game for a third time at 6-6, but Crump returned the lead to Niagara, and MacCheyne’s third goal of the afternoon sent Niagara into halftime on top by a score of 8-6. Niagara rattled off three goals at the top of the second period to seize control with an 11-6 lead. Morales opened the second-period scoring with a free-position goal before Hunt set up goals by Samantha Brill and Crump to extend the lead. Not to be turned away, the Hatters went on a three-goal run to make it 11-9 with 20 minutes to play. Two Niagara goals separated by eight seconds made it 13-9 as Crump set up Brill before Jillian Ford assisted on Hunt’s second goal of the afternoon. Hunt picked up two more assists over the course of the second period on goals by Audrey Fithall and MacCheyne before Crump scored her fourth of the day with 10:21 to play to make it 16-12. Stetson was able to draw within two goals with 6:37 to play, but goalkeeper Andrea Francisco stopped the only shot on goal she saw over the remainder of the period as Niagara held on for the 16-14 win.
The Purple Eagles return to Niagara Field on Monday, March 13 to host the Yale Bulldogs at 2 p.m.
