Rylee Gonzalez, Brooke Piper and Tori Nascimento combined for 17 points to pace St. Bonaventure in an 18-6 victory over Little Three rival Canisius in collegiate women's lacrosse action Wednesday at the Marra Sports Complex in Olean, N.Y.
With the win, the Bonnies moved to 1-1 overall on the young season while the Golden Griffins dropped to 0-2 on the year.
Rylee Gonzalez led all players with seven points as she notched two goals and dished out a game-high five assists to pace a potent St. Bonaventure attack. Piper tallied five goals while Nascimento finished with three goals and two assists. Grace Hollenbeck recorded four points as she finished with three goals and an assist. Katelyn Hicks recorded 12 stops between the pipes for the Bonnies.
Senior Hailey Rooney tallied two goals for Canisius while sophomore Maddie Fitzgerald finished with a goal and an assist. Sophomore Ashlyn Dhandwar, sophomore Lauren Matyka and junior Maggie Tifft accounted for the other three Griffs goals.
With the score tied at 1-1 early in the first quarter, the Bonnies closed out the opening frame with five unanswered goals to build a 6-1 cushion.
The second quarter saw the Griffs score three of the first four goals of the stanza to pull within three, only to have St. Bonaventure answer back with a free-position tally from McGovern in the final minute to take an 8-4 lead into the locker room.
The second half was all Bonnies, with St. Bonaventure outscoring Canisius by a 10-2 margin over the final 30 minutes to secure the 12-goal victory. Rooney and Dhandwar accounted for the two Canisius goals in the second half, with Rooney netting a highlight-reel effort during the third quarter when she weaved through a pair of defenders before picking the top corner for her second goal of the game and third of the season.
GAME NOTES
• Wednesday's game served as the 18th all-time meeting between the programs. With the loss, Canisius saw their nine-game win streak against the Bonnies come to a close.
• With two goals in today's contest, Hailey Rooney now leads the Griffs in goals scored this season with three.
• Lauren Matyka and Maggie Tifft both notched their first goals of the season.
UP NEXT
Canisius continues their season-opening road swing Sunday with a non-conference contest at Kennesaw State. Opening draw in Kennesaw Ga., is set for noon at Fifth Third Stadium.
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