NEW HAVEN, Connecticut The American International College women's lacrosse team closed out the 2021 regular season with an emphatic 19-9 victory over Southern Connecticut State University in Northeast-10 Conference play on Saturday, April 24.

FAST FACTS:
FINAL SCORE: AIC 19, SCSU 9
RECORDS: AIC improves to 2-10 overall and 2-9 in the NE10, while SCSU drops to 2-4 overall and in the NE10
LOCATION: Jess Dow Field, New Haven, Connecticut

KEY STATS:
SCSU:
Bayleigh Takacs: Four goals, one assist
Hailey Gordon: Four assists
Kelly Jagodzinski: Two goals, four draw controls
Laura Morton: Loss (2-4), 12 saves

AIC:
Kaitlyn Morris: Four goals, three assists, five draw controls
Devin Coulter: Five goals
Krista Iwanicki: Three goals, one assist, seven caused turnovers, nine draw controls
Liz Day: Two goals, two caused turnovers, two draw controls
Chelsea Davis: Win (2-9), 13 saves

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Graduate student Krista Iwanicki was a wrecking ball in the first ten minutes, striking for the first two goals of the game inside of the first 3:35 and then setting up rookie Anevay Rice at 8:59 to give AIC a 3-0 edge.
• The teams traded goals over the next quarter hour, as Rice and senior Devin Coulter each tallied unassisted goals, while junior Sam Giordano was set up by sophomore Kaitlyn Morris; the Owls came close but never were able to tie the game, as the Yellow Jackets held to a 6-5 lead with five to play in the frame.
• Iwanicki finished a first-half hat trick and Giordano set up Coulter for a goal just 39 seconds apart late in the frame; Bailey Takacs closed the scoring, leaving AIC ahead 8-6 at halftime.
• Takacs opened the scoring in the second at 6:58 to cut AIC's lead back to one, but the Yellow Jackets exploded from there, with Morris countering 26 seconds later to start a nine-goal run over 11:12. Morris scored twice and set up two more in that run, while Coulter netted three, sophomore Liz day buried two, and junior Molly Leavitt notched two and set up a third.
• The Owls did strike twice more late in the game, but Morris popped in the final two tallies, sending AIC home as 19-9 winners over the host side.

QUICK ON THE DRAW:

• AIC's 18 draw control wins was a season high.
• The ability to possess the ball led to offense, as AIC set season-best marks for goals with 19 and shots with 32.
• Iwanicki's nine draw controls was an individual season high for AIC as well.

CAPTAIN CLUTCH:

• Apart from dominating the draw, Iwanicki forced seven turnovers on the day, the most in a game in the 2021 season.
• That mark was one off of the single-game record of eight set by Brianna O'Brien in 2019.
• She closes the regular season as AIC's leader in goals, points, and draw controls, and is second only to junior Madi Bis in turnovers caused.

NEXT UP:

• AIC awaits the results of the remaining games of the 2021 regular season to see who it will face in the Northeast-10 Championship Tournament First Round.
• The team's game will be Friday, April 30; time will be determined based on opponent.
• Based on the remaining games, the Yellow Jackets will face either Pace University or Adelphi University.