HOOKSETT, New Hampshire A series of penalties against the American International College women's lacrosse team allowed the Southern New Hampshire Penmen to earn a 21-14 win over the Yellow Jackets in the season finale for AIC on Wednesday, April 25.

FAST FACTS:
Final Score:SNHU 21, AIC 14
Location: Penmen Stadium, Hooksett, New Hampshire
Records: AIC's season ends at 3-14 and 0-13 in the Northeast-10 Conference; SNHU improves to 4-12 and 3-9 in the NE10.

STATS LEADERS:
AIC:
Lauren Witherspoon: Four goals
Mikayla Demanche: Three goals, one assist
Brittany Hutchison: Two goals
Devin Coulter: Two goals
Jessica Fontana: Three caused turnovers
Chelsea Davis: Loss (3-14), 11 saves, two ground balls

SNHU:
Kristin Wilder: Seven goals, two assists
Alexa Bedell: Four goals, two assists
Alexis Felt: Three goals, four assists
Alex Comeau: Win, 12 saves

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Yellow Jackets struck first as junior midfielder Mikayla Demanche fired a pass into the front of the crease to freshman attacker Devin Coulter for a one-timer goal at 1:37; SNHU tied the game just over a minute later on a free-position goal, and then took the lead on another free-position tally at 4:29. Demanche had a response, winning the ensuing draw and scoring at 4:40 to tie things back up.
• The deluge of goals continued to match the rain; SNHU scored two more quick tallies before Demanche drew a free-position bid of her own and fired it into the net at 6:25 to cut the deficit to 4-3. After sophomore goalkeeper Chelsea Davis made two saves, Coulter drew another free-position chance from transition and tied the game at 7:41. Junior attacker Mary Bates then scored a go-ahead tally at 9:14 on a crease roll from the right side of the cage, giving AIC a 5-4 edge.
• A yellow card put AIC down a player, but that did not matter, as junior attacker Lauren Witherspoon scored shorthanded at 10:39 to put AIC up 6-4, forcing a timeout by the hosts. The stoppage in play signaled a stop in the scoring as well, with no goals until Witherspoon snapped home her second of the game at 19:35 to give AIC a three-goal edge.
• The Penmen broke the AIC run with a goal at 21:09, and then cut the deficit to one at 24:19, taking advantage of a turnover in the midfield. A free-position goal for Alexa Bedell then tied the game at 7-7 at 25:10.
• Bates restored AIC to the lead just over a minute later, sneaking a free-position bid into the bottom right corner of the net at 26:18, but that lead lasted just 14 seconds before the Penmen scored again to draw level. In the final minute of the frame, a failed clear led directly to a Penmen goal, taking the lead back, and then scored on a quick passing play off the draw to take a 10-8 lead. Witherspoon salvaged the half before it expired, however, ripping home her third of the game at 29:55, making the score 10-9.
• Out of the break, senior attacker Brittany Hutchison rifled a shot along the ground that hit the twine just 38 seconds into the period to tie the game, and Witherspoon scored her fourth after winning the draw to put AIC up 11-10 at the 55-second mark.
• A slew of yellow cards put SNHU back in command of the game, as the Penmen drew level on a man-up goal at 4:50, then scored two more to take a 13-11 lead at 10:28. Hutchison ripped home another goal to bring AIC back within one at the 12-minute mark, but the Penmen went up a player again and scored on the advantage less than a minute later, then netted another before the penalty expired for a 15-12 edge.
• The Penmen continued to push, taking a 16-12 edge at 15:22, and then on another extended man-up situation, expanded the lead to 19-12. The lead rose to 20-12 before Demanche stopped the run on a free-position bid at 20:25. Stunningly, that would nearly do it for the scoring; Kennedy Daziel scored with 28.8 seconds left on the clock for the Penmen, while senior attacker Deanna Fortin scored to close out the 21-14 final.

RECORDS FALL IN FINALE:

• Davis scooped two ground balls in the game, giving her 68 on the season, one more than the previous record of 67. "I couldn't have done it without my team," Davis said of breaking the record. "They allowed me to reach levels I didn't think I could get to, so it's more of a team accomplishment than an individual one."
• Fontana set the all-time games played record for AIC by taking the field for her 68th game, and also became the second player in program history to cause 30 turnovers in a season, behind redshirt sophomore Allison Roy's 36; Fontana's 63 caused turnovers in her career are the third-most of any player in team history. "I'm honored. When I joined the team, I learned so much from the players that were here, and I'm so proud of having been able to help the program on its way to where it's going to be."

FINAL THOUGHTS FROM THE SENIORS:

• "Joining this team was one of the best decisions I've ever made, just because of all the people I got to play with. They're amazing athletes as well as people and I'm lucky to have experienced that. It's helped me grow as an individual as well because I was able to push myself to try something new. We may not have been the best team in the conference but we had a great year of growth and there's a really bright future for this program and I'm lucky to have been a part of it," said senior midfielder Caitlin Sobolewski.
• "I'm thankful for all of my time at AIC and for all of my teammates throughout the years and what they've done for me," Fortin said.
• "I'm thankful for the opportunity I had to play lacrosse and field hockey at AIC. My teammates were always supportive and welcoming and I'll miss everyone very much. It was a great group to be a part of. I wish AIC lacrosse success in the future. Lastly, thanks to all of my great coaches for helping me become the player and person I am today," senior attacker Erica McLean said.
• "I'm going to miss being able to play lacrosse. I was part of four incredible teams and I'm happy to be part of this one especially, with such a young group that I could help start their career and help them take it to where it can go," Fontana said.

COACH'S CORNER:

• "It was obviously a tough year; we've got a very competitive conference. Are there things we did wrong? Absolutely. But we've got a young team including two sophomores that set records. The future is bright because of who we have on the team now. We're losing key players who are leaders on and off the field, but we need to learn from this year. We can truly only go up from here," head coach Ashley Casiano said of the season.

STAY CONNECTED:

• For more updates about the AIC women's lacrosse team, follow @AICwlax on Twitter and @AIC_womens_lacrosse onInstagram, and likeAIC Women's LacrosseonFacebook. For updates on all AIC Yellow Jackets teams, follow@AICAthleticsonTwitterandInstagram, and likeAIC Yellow JacketsonFacebook.