OLEAN, N.Y. – A strong second half carried La Salle to 14-8 win over St. Bonaventure as the Explorers notched their third conference win of the season on Friday. Sophomore Mikki Raymond led the way with a career-high five goals, while classmate Bridget Ruskey and senior Isabel Caddick tallied hattricks. For Caddick, it was her first hattrick in a La Salle jersey.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The visitors jumped out to a 2-0 lead courtesy of early scores from Caddick and Ruskey. The Bonnies would counter with a goal, before Raymond stretched the lead to 4-1 with two of her five on the day.
• The two teams traded goals after that, but St. Bonaventure scored twice in a row towards the end of the half to make it 5-4.
• La Salle opened the second frame with a Caddick strike to give the Explorers a two-goal advantage. That gap was quickly bridged by the Bonnies, as the home side scored twice within a minute to tie affairs at 6-6. That was as close as St. Bonaventure got.
• The Explorers exploded for five goals—two from Raymond, two from Ruskey and one from sophomore Annina Iacobucci. Although the Bonnies brought one back, La Salle rattles off another three scores to put the game to bed.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS                                                           

• Second half outburst: La Salle outscored the Bonnies 9-4 in the final frame. Those nine goals are their most in a second half since they put nine past VCU last season.
• Along with Raymond and Caddick's career days, Ruskey and sophomore Maddie Dachowski, who had two goals, rounded out the Explorers with multiple scores in Olean.
• Acclimating to A-10 play: in their last two conference games, La Salle has outscored its opposition 26-14.
• Caddick, Iacoubucci and junior Emily Talluto each recorded two caused turnovers, while Caddick also had two ground balls.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Molly Loughlin had a solid game in net, recording nine saves on 17 shots for a save percentage of 52.9%.

COACH'S THOUGHTS

• Head coach Katie Rhodes Abbott noted how her team grew into the game: "We came out with a good win today. We started a little slow but got momentum as the game went on. Our defense played really well, Courtney Shoults and Priya Kavuru did a great job for us. The offense had a more productive second half, for sure; Mikki Raymond and Isabel Caddick saw the net really well today in some clutch times. We have an important game Sunday so we have a few things to work on tomorrow, but we're looking forward to another big A-10 matchup."

UP NEXT

• La Salle returns home for Senior Day against Richmond on Sunday. First draw is at 11 a.m. and the game can be streamed on ESPN+.