Feb. 19, 2011

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VILLANOVA, Pa. - The Villanova women's lacrosse team earned their first win of the season in a decisive 16-8 victory over Bryant on Saturday afternoon. Justine Donodeo (Holbrook, N.Y.) led the Wildcat offense with four goals and three assists while Maria Bowman (Ft. Belvoir, Va.) contributed a hat trick and an assist in the effort.

The Wildcats and Bryant were nearly equal throughout the first fifteen minutes of play, with Donodeo getting off to a quick start with two goals in the first ten minutes. Bryant held the Wildcats offense, nearly matching them goal for goal with Lauren Sheridan, Kimberley Sniffen and Haley Bloom contributing five goals by the 16:48 mark. Bloom's third goal gave Bryant a slight 5-3 advantage before Jebb Chagan's offense kicked into high gear.

With 15:33 remaining, Villanova's Ali Judge (Annapolis, Md.), Rachel Lasda (Camilus, N.Y.), Bowman and Donodeo notched four straight goals to give the Wildcats a 7-5 advantage, then buried two more with 5:32 remaning from Dododeo and Carly Miller (Rye, N.Y.) before heading into halftime with the 9-6 lead.

The Wildcats came out strong in the second half, getting off to a quick start with an Ali Brandenburg (Edgewater, Md.) goal from a Donodeo pass, making the score 10-6. The Villanova defense held Bryant to just two additional goals for the half before VU solidified the win with six unanswered goals from Brandenburg, Lasda, Judge, Bowman and Anne Fallon (Shrewsburg, N.J.) to capture the 16-8 win.

Defensively, VU's Amy Jackson and Lasda captured three ground balls apiece, while Maggie Langan (Potomac, Md.) made seven saves in the victory. Bryant's Brianna Watt also tallied eight saves in the defeat.

Villanova will return home next weekend when they face Boston College at 3:30pm in Villanova Stadium.