Despite facing adverse weather conditions, the Siena women’s lacrosse team delivered an exceptional performance at Hickey Field on Saturday afternoon. Their dominance remained unwavering, overcoming rain, sleet, and snow, particularly evident in their matchup against MAAC newcomer Rider.
The Saints secured a commanding 22-4 victory, marking a historic moment by setting a program record for the largest margin of victory in the team’s 28-year history. Previously, the largest margin had been 17 goals on two occasions. Sarah Irish’s goal in the final seconds extended the lead to 18, establishing a new record. Furthermore, this performance equaled the program’s record for most goals scored in a single game, matching the 22-goal tally achieved against Hartford on March 13, 2019.
Demonstrating dominance across various aspects of the game, Siena (6-3, 1-0 MAAC) excelled, particularly in draw controls, securing an impressive 26 out of 30 as a team. Individually, senior Taryn Asselin set a new single-game program record for most draw controls, accumulating an impressive 15 during the game. Asselin had previously matched the record earlier this season during a win against Le Moyne on March 2, and came close to breaking it with 12 draw controls during a victory against the then #18 Army West Point on Feb. 17.
Despite being in their inaugural season playing women’s lacrosse, the Broncs (6-3, 0-1) had an impressive start to their campaign, featuring the MAAC’s top player for draw controls and one of the league’s leading scorers, Katie Walsh. Walsh, who had been averaging 3.13 goals per game and over seven draw controls, was limited to just two draw controls and one goal against the Saints.
Offensively, junior Grace Dobrzynski led the Saints with an eight-point performance (two goals and a career-high six assists), while junior Kelly Logue surpassed the 100-point milestone in her career with a six-point outing (three goals and three assists).
Siena dominated early, establishing a 7-1 lead by the end of the first quarter, with freshman Olivia Nicholson and senior Rebecca Gilhooley each contributing two goals. Maintaining their momentum, the Saints outscored the Broncs 6-2 in the second quarter, carrying a commanding 13-3 lead into halftime. Siena continued their relentless performance in the second half, outscoring the Broncs 9-1 for the remainder of the game. Twelve different Saints contributed to the scoring, including three players who achieved hat tricks (Logue, Nicholson, and Gilhooley).