March 13, 2005

WORCESTER, Mass. - Carolyn Smirti, Patricia Sutton, Amy Archambault and Kaitlin Nangle all scored hat tricks to lead Holy Cross to its first conference win of the season with a 14-6 decision over Villanova at the Hart Astroturf Sunday afternoon. The Crusaders have now won three straight and get back to the .500 mark with a 3-3 record (1-0 Patriot League), while Villanova drops its fourth straight game, and its second in league play (0-4, 0-2 Patriot League).

The Crusaders got on the board just 31 seconds into the game when Eileen Hartigan took a pass from Jacque Hastings and blasted a shot past Villanova keeper Jessica Brozena. Holy Cross then took a 2-0 lead just four minutes later on Sutton's first tally of the day. The Wildcats kept it close in the early going, cutting the lead to one (2-1) on a Kristen Morea goal, but the Crusaders then opened the flood gates and recorded four straight goals in the next six minutes to take a comfortable 6-1 lead just 14:28 into the contest.

Alex Garvey got Villanova on the board once more, to give the Wildcats their second goal of the half, but the Crusaders continued to dominate, putting up four more goals to take a 10-2 lead at the break.

In the second Smirti scored her third goal of the game off of a pass from Hastings to put HC up 11-2. Five minutes later, Sutton then notched her third goal of the game giving the Crusaders a 12-2 lead with 21:13 to go. After a Villanova tally brought the Wildcats within nine (12-3), goals by Archambault and Nangle extended the Holy Cross lead back to double digits (14-3).

Amy Rocap scored three straight goals for the Wildcats in the final 7:26 of play to spark Villanova, but it was too little, too late as the Crusaders got the 14-6 victory.

Megan Orr made 9 saves in goal for Holy Cross, only giving up three goals in 51+ minutes of play. Brozena made seven saves in net for the Wildcats.

The Wildcats return to action on Wednesday, March 16 when they travel to Newark, Del. to face the Blue Hens of Delaware at 3 p.m.