PHILADELPHIA, PA - The La Salle Explorer lacrosse team captured a 15-10 victory of the St. Bonaventure Bonnies on Saturday at McCarthy Stadium. The win marked La Salle's first of the season in conference play and improved to 8-6 overall and 1-4 in the coference, while the Bonnies dropped to 8-4 overall in 1-4 in the A-10.
Kate Henwood (Glen Mills, PA/Garnett Valley) led La Salle with four goals, while Kristen Davis (Folsom, PA/Ridley) knocked in three goals and assisted on three goals to post a game high six points.
Catie Borneman (Lansdale, PA/North Penn) got things started at the 2:07 mark, drilling a shot past St. Bonaventue goalkeeper Eboni Preston (New Windsor, MD/Westminster). About five minutes later at the 7:06 mark, Tiffany Grossi (Ridley Park, PA/Ridley) captured a pass from Becky Boudwin (Springfield, PA/Cardinal O'Hara) to put the Explorers up 2-0.
St. Bonaventure's Katie Hurley (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) put the Bonnies on the scoreboard at the 7:51 mark, but La Salle's Kristen Davis halted the Bonnies with just one goal when she took advantage of a free position shot at the 9:42 mark.
Freshman Jessica Handson (Cortland Manor, NY/Walter Panas) scored her first collegiate goal with 16:11 to go in the half after converting another La Salle free position attempt.
Megan Murphy (Syracue, NY/Corcoran) scored next for the Bonnies at 16:18, and La Salle answered with a Kat Prokop (Towaco, NJ/Montville Township) goal at 20:37. It was back to St. Bonaventure at 24:36 when Courtney Gibbons (Fairport, NY/Fairport) scored to bring the score to 5-3 favor La Salle.
In the last four minute of the first half, La Salle got two goals from Henwood and one from Borneman to put La Salle up to a commanting 8-3 lead. The Bonnies got one last goal of the half when Kelly Chevez (East Rochester, NY/East Rochester) scored with four seconds remaining off a pass from Brianna Houghton (Maniulus, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius).
In the second half, Henwood scored her third goals in just four seconds, but the Bonnies would then put a little run together, with Hurley scoring back-to-back mgoals at 35:18 and 39:13, followed by Gibbons' second of the day at 42:25. With the Bonnies closing the scoring gap to 9-7, La Salle got a boost from Hewood and Davis to give the Explorers a four-goal cushion at 11-7 with 9:22 to play.
The Bonnies answred with a goal from Gibbons at 47:47, but La Salle responded with another two goals from Prokop and Davis at 48:23 and 50:38. St. Bonaventure tried again with goals at 53:32 and 53:59 from Hurley and Gibbons but it wasn't enough.
St. Bonaventure goalkeepr Eileen Gagon (Camilius, NY/West Genesee) was signaled for a four with 25 seconds to play, giving La Salle's leading scorer Emily Bonczek (Henrietta, NY/Rush-Henrietta) an open shot, after being hounded all game, and took advantage to net her lone goal of the contest. Borneman put the exclamation point on the game with a goal with four seconds left to give La Salle a 15-10 victory.
The Explorers will be taking on Atlantic 10 rival Saint Joseph's on Thurday, April 21st at 4:30 p.m. at McCarthy Stadium. La Salle will be looking for its second Atlantic 10 win of the season to try to make a run the A-10 tournament.
