WALTHAM, Mass. - Sophomore Alyssa Ritchie (North Andover/North Andover HS) broke the Falcons' all-time single-season scoring record with a four-goal, two-assist game as the Bentley women's lacrosse team held off Saint Michael's for a 13-11 win on Saturday afternoon in Northeast-10 Conference action. Ritchie entered the game with 62 points this season, three shy of the previous mark of 65 set by Lauren Ferraro in 2002 and matched by Ritchie last season. Ritchie set the new single-season mark a game after senior Kellyn Riccitelli (Cheshire, Conn./Cheshire HS) broke the Falcons' all-time career scoring record.

The Falcons improved to 8-4 (7-1 NE-10) with their seventh straight win and clinched a spot in the NE-10 Tournament, while the Purple Knights fell to 6-7 (5-5 NE-10).

Ritchie wasted no time in breaking the record with a hand in the first four Bentley goals, tallying her 66th point of the season with a goal that put the Falcons up 4-1 with 21:48 on the clock in the first half. After Bentley's hot start, the Purple Knights scored five straight goals, capped by a pair of tallies from sophomore Brynne Curran (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) to pull ahead with a 6-4 lead and 8:49 on the clock in the first. The Falcons were able to pull even just before halftime with a pair of goals in the final minute from Riccitelli and junior Beth Gendron (Tyngsboro/Tyngsboro HS).

Bentley took the lead for good with five unanswered goals in the first ten minutes of the second half. Ritchie scored the first two before junior Liz Goddard (Acton/Acton-Boxborough HS) netted three straight in a five-minute span to put the Falcons up 11-6. Curran and senior Megan Lagasse (Newburyport) scored a pair of goals for the Purple Knights, but Goddard struck again with her fourth of the game, the eventual game-winner, with just under 17 minutes to play. Curran and junior Amanda Soule (Hartland, Vt.) scored quick back-to-back goals to get Saint Michael's back within two goals with three minutes to play, but the Falcons held off the comeback for the remainder of the contest.

Junior goalkeeper Courtney Wakem (Tiverton, R.I.) played a strong game between the pipes for the Purple Knights, turning aside 16 shots while allowing only 13 goals. Freshman Christina Guglielmo (Fair Haven, N.J./Rumson-Fair Haven HS) made 10 saves to earn the win for Bentley as the Falcons held a 41-39 edge in shots and a 29-21 advantage in shots on goal.

The Falcons return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Rindge, N.H., to face Franklin Pierce at 6:00 p.m.

2007-04-21