Syracuse, N.Y. - The No. 5/6 and third-seeded LIU Post women's lacrosse team made a statement in its return to the NCAA Division II Tournament on Friday, besting No. 11 and sixth-seeded University of New Haven, 9-6, in a first-round match-up at Le Moyne's Ted Grant Field in Syracuse.
Senior defender/midfielder Honey Roche (Centerport, N.Y.) registered a career-high-tying five goals in the victory, matching her mark from last season's East Coast Conference Championship semifinal versus Molloy College on Apr. 30, 2015.
The Pioneers (17-3) got out to a sizzling hot start, scoring five unanswered goals to start the contest. Four of those tallies occurred in a short span of 2:04.
Roche accounted for two of the goals and assisted on Trish Brisotti's (Mattituck, N.Y.) game-opening goal at the 24:44 mark.
Roche didn't stop there in the first half. She found the back of the cage in the last minute of the period to send LIU Post into the break with a 6-2 advantage.
Sophomore goalie Olivia Kirk (Farmingdale, N.Y.) stopped four of the six shots on goal she faced in the opening 30 minutes, including an odd-man rush in the final seconds.
In the second half, Roche continued on her tear, netting a pair of tallies in the session to put New Haven (13-7) away for good.
Roche finished with five goals and one assist for six points. She also won four draws and caused one turnover. Senior attacker Emily Delaney (Long Valley, N.J.) added three points (2 G, 1 A) in the win.
Between the pipes, Kirk made a game-best seven saves. Her counterparts, Alyssa Gianotti (Monkton, Md.) and Marissa McDermott (Longmeadow, Mass.), combined to stop seven shots for the Chargers.
Head Coach Meghan McNamara and the Pioneers now advance to an NCAA Division II National Quarterfinal date at No. 2 and second-seeded Le Moyne College on Saturday (May 14) at 3 p.m.
Provided by the LIU Post Sports Information Department.
