Goals come in bunches against conference rival

(Courtney Canavan scored a game-high nine goals against the Hawks Thursday).

(Kristin Menge had five saves against conference rival Mohawk Valley Thursday).

UTICA, NY – In their first game of the season against conference rival Mohawk Valley Community College, the Herkimer Generals women's lacrosse team outscored the Hawks 12-to-1 in the second half, on their way to a 20-4 victory.

Herkimer (1-0) had five separate runs against Mohawk Valley, thanks to a balanced offense which saw six different players score. The first run of the game came at the hands of Nicole Evans (Cortland, NY) and Courtney Canavan (Baldwinsville, NY). Both players netted goals within two minutes of each other – 25:43 and 23:02 – then did it again after the Hawks scored their first goal (2-1) to make it 4-1 with 18:07 left in the first half. Evans finished the game with two goals and two assists. Canavan finished with a game-high nine goals and three assists.

Mohawk Valley got the game within three goals (6-3) with over 10 minutes left in the first half, scoring two goals in the matter of four minutes, but Canavan answered each of the Hawks goals, scoring the last three for the Generals in the half, en route to an 8-3 lead at intermission.

The runs Herkimer had in the first half, only got bigger in the second half, allowing one goal in 30 minutes. In goal for the Generals was sophomore Kristin Menge (Warwick, NY). She finished the game with five saves, stopping numerous free position shots thrown at her throughout the game, never allowing the Hawks to gain momentum.

With Menge and the defense doing their part, the offense went on a 4-0 and 8-0 run. Joining Canavan in the goal column during the second half was Alexis Caughey (Cortland, NY) and Nicole Purcell (McGraw, NY). Caughey had seven goals in the second half, while Purcell had one goal. Caughey and Purcell also added one assist in the game.

Rounding out the scoring for Herkimer was Emilie Coufal (Syracuse, NY). She finished the game with one goal and three assists.

The Generals next game is this Saturday (3/29) against Suffolk County Community College. The Sharks will travel to Herkimer to take on the Generals at Wehrum Stadium. It will be Herkimer's first home game of the season. Game time is 1 p.m.

-Giorgio Varlaro; Athletic Website Manager