Contact: Dave Van Gorder (dvangord@binghamton.edu)

NIAGARA, N.Y.—The Binghamton women's lacrosse team (4-5) defeated Niagara (3-6) today at Niagara Stadium, by a score of 9-7.

"We're proud of the team, it was a tight turnaround after Saturday's game," admitted head coach Stephanie Allen. "We were a little tired going in, and the legs were heavy, but the girls found a way to dig deep and come out with the win before returning to conference play next weekend."

The Purple Eagles opened the game with two goals, but Callon Williams got BU on the board with her first goal of the game. After a Niagara goal made it 3-1, the Bearcats ripped off four straight to take a 5-3 lead.

Brianne Arthur started things off, scoring on a pass from Tiffany Ryan. Just over three minutes later Ryan tied it up with a goal herself (assisted by Renee Kiviat). Williams' second goal (assisted by Sophia Racciatti) gave Binghamton the lead, and Valerie DeNapoli made it four in a row for the Bearcats.

The importance of the 4-0 run was something that was not lost on Allen. "I thought that was an important turning point in the game," replied the third-year head coach. "We got off to a little bit of a slow start, but we put more value into our offense, and on the defensive end we were able to get the opposition out of their comfort zone."

BU would never relinquish the lead—holding a 5-4 halftime advantage, and outscoring the Purple Eagles in the second half, 4-3.

In the second half Sophia Racciatti would score two goals, Callon Williams would complete her hat trick, and Valerie DeNapoli would add an insurance goal, her second of the game. The three players gave Binghamton two straight games with three multi-goal scorers. For Racciatti it was six goals in the last two games, and a team-leading 15 for the season.

Erin McNulty made six saves in net, picking up her forth win of the season. When asked about her team's performance, Allen expressed the many factors responsible for the win. "Erin stepped up and had a nice game in cage for us. We did a good job of causing turnovers, and also taking advantage of our offensive opportunities."

After the short turnaround, Binghamton now has a few days off before their next game. They return to action at home on Sunday, March 29, when they take on the UMass Lowell Riverhawks at noon.