Women's lacrosse pulls off the upset, downs No. 25 Vanderbilt

The Hofstra women’s lacrosse team continued their dominant start to the season as they defeated the No. 25 Vanderbilt University Commodores 11-8 in Nashville, Tennessee on Saturday, Feb. 18.

Sister duo Nikki Mennella and Taylor Mennella ran the show for the Pride, combining for seven goals and three assists, leading the team to victory.

Midfielder Kayla Rieu won the initial draw control for Vanderbilt, but the Pride  regained possession after a turnover by the Commodores to record their first shot on goal, courtesy of Nikki Mennella. She continued her attacking presence as she scored the Pride’s first goal of the afternoon from a free position shot.

Vanderbilt attacker Courtney Carollo won the following draw control but Hofstra’s offense maintained their strong presence as Taylor Mennella scored the team’s second goal. The two teams traded shots following the Pride’s two goals, but both goalkeepers made their respective saves. With two minutes remaining, Hofstra netted their third goal. Nikki Mennella scored her second of the afternoon to give the Pride a 3-0 lead going into the second quarter.

Hofstra stayed dominant going into the second quarter, as they outshot Vanderbilt 3-1 in the first six minutes. Nonetheless, the Commodores midfielder Kemper Robinson scored the team’s first goal, midfielder Nellie Blaze was credited with the assist.

Despite conceding a goal, the Pride attacker Lauren Coletti netted another goal, giving Hofstra a 4-1 lead. Vanderbilt quickly bounced back after a turnover by Taylor Mennella that gave the Commodores their second goal, courtesy of Robinson ending the quarter 4-2.

Back from the halftime break, the teams battled on the field, scoring a combined eight goals in the third quarter. Robinson netted the first of the frame for the Commodores.

It didn’t take long for the Pride to bounce back as midfielder Jackie Gatti scored first for Hofstra before midfielder Megan Flannery netted the second with the assist going to Nikki Mennella.

The Pride scored three more consecutive goals before Vanderbilt responded with two of their own. Attacker Chloe Sedlar scored the first of three with Katie Kelly being credited with the assist. Nikki Mennella scored next with Kelly getting the assist again, and Taylor Mennella netted the third, assisted by her sister. The Commodores scored the final two goals of the quarter with attacker Molly Finlay netting the first off of a free position shot and Robinson scoring the second. The Pride led 9-5 going into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth frame, the Commodores scored a goal almost immediately after the game clock started, courtesy of midfielder Paige Finneran. Midfielder Bri Gross scored another which attacker Ellie Hilsabeck assisted to bring the team within two of the Pride. Nikki Mennella scored again with the assist going to attacker Rachel Graff, keeping the Pride ahead 10-7. Gross followed up by scoring on a free position shot to bring the Commodores within two, but Nikki Mennella scored the 11th and final goal of the game giving the Pride the 11-8 win.

The Pride look to continue their 2-0 unbeaten run on Tuesday, Feb. 21, against Brown University at the James M. Shuart Stadium, at 2 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics