Plymouth State Pulls Away from Southern Maine to Win 13-7

            PLYMOUTH, N.H. -- Junior Caroline Vonachen (Framingham, Mass.) and sophomore Sam Sullivan (Canton, Mass.) combined for nine goals and three assists as the Plymouth State University Panthers pulled away in final 15 minutes to defeat the University of Southern Maine Huskies 13-7 in Little East Conference women's action Wednesday afternoon at Arold Field.

            The win snapped a three-game losing skid for the Panthers and improved their record to 9-5 overall and 3-2 in the conference.  The Huskies fall to 4-9 overall and 1-4 in LEC play with their third loss in their last four games.

            Vonachen had four goals, including two in the final 15 minutes, and three assists to lead all scorers with seven points.  Sullivan added a game-high five goals.  Sophomore Megan Tingley (Natick, Mass.) had a goal and dished out four assists.  Junior goalie Meg Brault (South Windsor, Conn.) made 16 saves to earn her eighth win of the season.

            Junior Heather Everett (Waterboro, Maine/Massabesic) led the Huskies scoring three goals, scooping up a game-high nine ground balls and causing a USM single-game record nine PSU turnovers.  Senior Sarah Pelligrinelli (Southington, Conn.) scored two goals, and freshman Hannah LaSalle (Humarock, Mass./Marshfield) had a goal and one assist.  Senior goalie Caley Presby (Portland, Maine/Deering) stopped 12 shots.

            Everett and Pelligrinelli scored eight seconds apart midway through the second half (16:33 and 16:25) to pull the Huskies within three (10-7), but those would be the last two goals for the Huskies.

            Vonachen broke the Huskies' momentum just over a minute later scoring her third goal of the game converting an assist from Tingley.  Sullivan netted her fifth goal of the game at 13:56 to make it 12-7, and Vonachen closed out the scoring with 4:39 remaining.

            In the first half, PSU took a 5-1 lead in the opening 20 minutes as Vonachen and Sullivan scored two goals apiece.  USM closed to within one (5-4) with a run of three goals from senior Shauna Robert (Lyman, Maine/Massabesic), Everett and LaSalle before PSU rookie Kimmie Zuccaro (Townsend, Mass./North Middlesex) gave the Panthers a two-goal lead (6-4) at the half.

            Sullivan scored a pair of man-down goals 41 seconds apart in the second half to give PSU a 10-5 lead before Everett and Pelligrinelli responded for the Huskies.

            Both sides had 32 shots in the game, and USM compiled a slim 32-29 edge in ground balls.  Plymouth State won the battle of draw controls 15-7.

            Southern Maine will finish the 2016 regular season this Saturday (1:00 p.m.) hosting Rhode Island College.  Plymouth State closes the regular season with a game at Western Connecticut State University on Saturday (12:00 p.m.). 

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