BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – A nine-goal second half broke open a halftime tie as the Long Island University women's lacrosse team downed Central Connecticut State University for the third time this season, 13-7 at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium on Saturday, March 27.
 
Despite a slow start, the LIU offense found the back of the net nine times on the afternoon to cap off an overall dominant performance. The Sharks outshot the Blue Devils, 34-21 while collecting 17 of 22 draw controls and finishing a perfect 15-for-15 on clear attempts.
 
It was a slow start for both squads as neither team scored more than two-consecutive goals during the opening 30 minutes of action. Central Connecticut scored on a free-position attempt with just 15 seconds remaining to head into halftime level at 4-4.
 
LIU came out of the locker room and scored just 73 seconds into the second half and opened the half on a 4-1 burst to take an 8-5 lead midway through the period. Jen Gaffney scored at the 12:28 mark to spark a five-goal run for the Blue and Gold to put the game out of reach for good.
 
Sara Stephens led all scorers with a career-high five goals on the afternoon, while Amanda Masullo and Gaffney tallied three goals each. Francesca Vasille-Cozzo dished out five assists, while Rachel Masullo added two. Rachel Masullo also added eight draw controls, while Hailey Duchnowski made seven saves to earn her sixth win in cage.
 
The Sharks will look to extend their current win streak to four games on Saturday, April 3 when they host Bryant University at 12:00 p.m.