Hunt Nets 200th Point, Lacrosse on Historic Run

LEICESTER, Mass. – Stephanie Hunt surpassed the 200-point mark and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy women's lacrosse team ran its winning streak to three with another lop-sided victory, routing Becker College 18-1 on Tuesday afternoon. The Bucs have their longest winning streak since 2015 and the 17-goal difference was the most since at least 2012.

Mass Maritime (4-2) was led by senior attacker Stephanie Hunt, who scored three goals and added three assists. ­Hunt entered the game with 196 career points and reached 200 with her third goal of the game at just 8:35 into the contest. The Brookfield, Conn. native has 19 goals and 17 assists on the year, both team-leading figures.

"Steph got her 200th point and the whole team lit up!" enthused Head Coach Marc Palombo.

The Buccaneers continued a trend of scoring early, netting at 1:05 into the game when MASCAC Rookie of the Week Anna Deely (Marstons Mills, Mass.) found the back of the net for an unassisted goal. Deely would finish with four goals, two assists and seven ground balls on the day. MMA's three-game run has coincided with an eye-opening emergence by the first-year attacker, during which she has scored 12 goals and assisted six more.

Freshman midfielder Casey Sullivan (Sagamore Beach, Mass.) also had a big game with a game-high five goals, the second most for a Buc this season. Junior winger Meghan Petruzziello (Malden, Mass.) finished with a hat trick, while another first-year, Christine Smith (Marshfield, Mass.) had one goal and two helpers. Yet another freshman, Chloe Doucette (Manchester, Mass.) is proving to be a valuable sub, beating the keeper once and adding an assist.

"The women are starting to become comfortable with their teammates. The line of Steph Hunt, Anna Deely, and Casey Sullivan is really coming together," pronounced Palombo. "They know where their teammate will be in certain situations."

Mass Maritime led 12-1 at the half, and for the game the outshot Becker 42-12, putting 33 shots on goal. Mikayla Correia continued to be the unsung hero of the team, saving 9-of-10 against the Hawks and a masterful 24-of-27 in the last three games.  

Becker (0-4) was led by sophomore midfielder Cassandra Nelson (Exeter, N.H.), who got the home team on the board with her third goal of the season at 8:45 left in the first half. The sophomore also had a team-high six ground balls. Sophomore goalie Emily Loud (Wilmington, Mass.) came in to play in the second half, stopping seven out of ten shots.

"The offense and defense have really put together a great run in the last 3 games: 50 goals for, 5 against (and 1 game was cut short by 10 minutes)," added the coach. "We have been receiving contributions from every year class. While this is all great, we will see what we are made of in the next few games."

MMA will stay on the road for a Thursday contest at Wentworth (2-4), which begins at 7 p.m. The women's next home game is against Dean College on April 10 at 7 p.m.

Boxscore

In the meantime, bookmark www.mmabucs.com and get the inside scoop on Facebook and Twitter @mmabuccaneers.

Michael Rupp, Becker College Assistant Director of Athletic Communications with copy from Gabriel Fidler, Sports Information Associate