Rivier's Ashlynn Ledoux tries to make a move during Saturday's win over Anna Maria in Paxton, Mass. (Courtesy photo by Chris Conley/Rivier Athletics)

PAXTON, Mass. – Behind a five-goal flurry from sophomore Sofia Cebrero and two additional hat tricks from first-year Ashlynn Ledoux and senior Sarah Lachance, the Rivier women’s lacrosse team defeated Anna Maria, 16-6, in its Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener on Saturday afternoon at Caparso Field.

With the win the Raiders improved to 2-1 (1-0 GNAC) while the AMCATS dropped to 0-3 (0-1 GNAC).

Cabrero opened the contest with an early goal, taking a pass from Lachance and finishing past the Anna Maria goalkeeper. Lachance then extended the lead, scoring two unassisted goals in a span of 80 seconds to put Rivier up 3-0 by the end of the first quarter.

The AMCATS responded quickly in the second quarter, scoring two goals in just 16 seconds to narrow the Raider lead to 3-2 with 12:09 remaining in the half. Rivier struck back with two goals in three seconds from Ledoux and Cabrero. The Raiders kept the momentum going as first-year Brooke Carter found the back of the net, and Cabrero completed her hat trick just 17 seconds later, giving Rivier a 7-2 lead midway through the frame. Anna Maria briefly halted the run with a goal, but the Raiders added two late scores from Ledoux and Lachance, who also completed her first-half hat trick as Rivier headed into the halftime break with a 9-3 lead.

Rivier’s offense kept firing, scoring three consecutive goals from three different Raiders to open the second half. The AMCATS answered with a man-up goal, but senior Cassie Hemmerdinger responded, scoring her first goal of the season at the 3:42 mark. Ledoux then completed her hat trick late in the period, giving the Raiders a ten-point cushion heading into the final frame.

Junior Bailey Carroll and Cebrero added late tallies as the Raiders closed out the game with a 16-6 win.

Lachance led the team with seven points, including three goals and four assists, along with four ground balls and three draw controls. Cabrero and Ledoux each contributed five points. Hemmerdinger added three points and a game-high eight ground balls, while Carter chipped in with three points and three ground balls.

Senior goaltender Kylie Coupal recorded seven saves in the contest and improved her record to 2-1 on the season.

The Raiders return to action in a GNAC road matchup on Saturday, March 15 against Emmanuel (Mass.). The opening draw at Roberto Clemente Field is scheduled for noon.

MEN’S LACROSSE

ROGER WILLIAMS 14, RIVIER 11

The Rivier men’s lacrosse team suffered its first loss of the season in a non-conference affair at Merrill Field.

With the loss, the Raiders dropped to 2-1 while the Hawks improved to 3-4.

The Hawks stormed out of the gate, netting three goals in the first 2:57 of play. Senior Michael Ference halted the early surge with an unassisted goal, but Roger Williams quickly capitalized on a man-up opportunity to extend its lead. Ference struck again from the slot, cutting the deficit to 4-2. The Hawks answered with another goal, but Rivier responded with back-to-back tallies from senior Michael Zapatka and first-year Aiden Conley. Graduate student Colby Mercier then ripped a shot past the goalkeeper with 38 seconds remaining, bringing the Raiders level at 5-5 to close out the first quarter.

Roger Williams reclaimed the lead just 41 seconds into the second quarter, making it 6-5. Senior Sawyer Hall quickly responded, burying a pass from Ference to even the score. The Hawks continued their offensive momentum, netting four of the next five goals. Senior Chris Heitmiller provided the lone goal for Rivier during the stretch as Roger Williams carried a 10-7 advantage into the halftime break.

The teams exchanged goals to open the second half, but sophomore Noah Zeman provided a spark for the Raiders, scooping up the ground ball off his faceoff and burying a shot to trim the deficit to two with 5:10 remaining in the third quarter. Both teams were held scoreless over the next ten minutes, but Roger Williams put the game out of reach with two goals in quick succession to close out the contest with a 14-11 win.

Ference paced the Raiders’ offense with a team-high seven points, while Heitmiller added three of his own. Zapatka contributed two points along with four ground balls. Junior Owen McDuffie went 8-for-16 (50%) on faceoffs and collected a team-high seven ground balls, while Zeman dominated the spot, winning 8-of-11 (72.7%) faceoffs and securing three ground balls. Defensively, graduate student Robert DelPrete led the Raiders with two caused turnovers.

Graduate student goalkeeper Sawyer Gagnon recorded 12 saves in the contest, marking his third consecutive game with double-digit stops.

The Raiders return to action on Wednesday, March 12 against non-conference opponent U. of New England. Faceoff at Merrill Field is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.

BASEBALL

RAIDERS SPLIT TO END TRIP

The Rivier baseball team rounded out its trip to the Palmetto State with a non-conference split against Manhattanville on Saturday afternoon at Polo Grounds at The Ripken Experience, with both games going seven innings in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Senior lefthander Nate Bonacorsi pitched six strong innings in a 6-1 win for the Raiders in game one of the twinbill before the Valiants responded with a 9-4 win in the rubber match. Rivier continued its best start to a season, posting a 4-4 record through eight games. Manhattanville moved to 3-1 overall with the results.

The Raiders return to New England for a regional matchup at Wentworth on Thursday. First pitch from Libby Field is scheduled for 5 p.m.

Rivier 6, Manhattanville 1 (7 inn.)

Rivier struck first in the bottom of the first as junior Nathan Innerfield continued his hot start to the campaign with an RBI single down the left field line, scoring senior Jacob Boudreau.

Manhattanville scored on an error in the top of the second to tie the game at 1-all.

In the top of the fourth, senior lefty Nate Bonacorsi recorded a one-two-three frame, striking out two Valiant batters in that span.

It wasn’t until the bottom of the fourth that the Raiders regained their lead, as senior Owen Medlock hit a sacrifice fly to right, scoring classmate Luis Tejada.

Innerfield came up big yet again in the bottom of the fifth as he singled up the middle to push Colton Colleran across the plate following a steal of second by the sophomore.

With two outs and runners on the corners in the top of the sixth, Bonacorsi fired a pick-off attempt to first which resulted in the final out of the inning. In the bottom half, first-year Jayce Martinez smashed an RBI ground rule double to right center to make it a 4-1 Rivier advantage. Boudreau followed that up with a single to left, knocking in Martinez. First-year Brady Balint, who walked two batters prior, scored on a passed ball to round out the scoring.

Junior right-handed closer Ty Baker came in to shut down the Valiants in the top of the seventh, striking out two of the four batters he faced.

Bonacorsi went six complete innings, allowing just one run on six hits and a walk while fanning five Valiants.

Boudreau went 3-for-3 with a walk with one RBI and one run scored. Innerfield finished 2-for-3 with two RBI.

Manhattanville 9, Rivier 4 (7 inn.)

Manhattanville started game two with a two-run homer to take a first-inning lead.

Senior Owen Medlock of Merrimack pushed classmate JD Normand over the plate in the top of the second to make it a one-run game. The Valiants scored twice in the bottom half to take a three-run lead.

A four-run fifth inning further separated Manhattanville from Rivier as the Valiants boasted an 8-1 lead before taking on an additional run in the following frame to increase their lead to eight.

The Raiders attempted a late comeback in the seventh as junior Nathan Innerfield came in to pinch hit and knocked an RBI ground-rule double down the left field line. On the next at bat, senior Jacob Boudreau knocked in a run before sophomore Colton Colleran added another with a sac fly to center to make it a five-run game, but that would be all the scoring Rivier could muster.

Normand went 2-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored.

SOFTBALL

RAIDERS SPLIT ON FINAL FLA.DAY

The Rivier softball team took one of its final two Space Coast Spring Games on Saturday, March 8 at the Space Coast Complex. The Raiders fell to Marietta, 9-0 in six innings before run-ruling Mount Mary, 12-2, in six innings.

With the results, the Raiders head back to Nashua with a 3-7 record, while the Pioneers grabbed their first win of the 2025 campaign and the Blue Angels fell to 1-9.

Rivier returns to the diamond Saturday, March 22 for a non-conference doubleheader with Fitchburg St. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. in game one

Marietta 9, Rivier 0

Marietta got out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first and never looked back.

The Pioneers added two more runs in the top of the third inning and another in the fourth, extending their lead to 6-0.

Marietta called game in the top of the sixth inning with three runs crossing the plate, to close out the game 9-0.

Sophomore Hailey Berube pitched six innings, striking out three batters and walking one.

Rivier 12, Mount Mary 2

Rivier completed a sweep of Mount Mary in the season-series, thanks in large part to an eight-run surge in the fifth and sixth innings.

Graduate Hannah Muchemore got things started at the plate, driving in sophomore Haleigh Silva to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead in the top half of the first. Mount Mary responded with an equalizer in the bottom half, tying the contest at 1-1 heading into the second.

In the top of the second, Rivier kept the bats hot as junior Kylee Caetano executed her job at the plate, advancing the runners and bringing home junior Kyleigh Guerette to reclaim the lead, 2-1.

The Raiders added two more runs in the third and fourth innings. Sophomore Sophia Quinlan ripped a single to center field, allowing senior Courtney Marioles to cross the plate in the third. In the fourth, Caetano launched a deep shot to right field and took all four bases for a solo inside-the-park home run, extending Rivier’s lead to 4-1.

Rivier exploded for three more runs in the fifth inning. First-year Aaralyn Lopez doubled to deep center in her first-ever collegiate plate appearance, sparking the rally. Junior Hayley Rapaglia followed with an RBI single to bring home Lopez, making it 5-1. A base hit to center then scored first-year Mia Pannone and Quinlan, pushing the lead further.

The offensive surge continued into the sixth. Muchemore stayed hot, ripping a triple to deep center. First-year Bryanna Mason added an RBI, bringing Muchemore home. Rapaglia logged her second RBI of the contest, scoring Marioles. Guerette followed with a hit down the left field line, plating Rapaglia. Silva capped off the scoring with a triple to center, making it 12-1.

Mount Mary managed to add a run in the bottom of the sixth but couldn’t complete the comeback, sealing a 12-2 victory for Rivier.

Silva and Muchemore both recorded 2-for-4 performances at the plate, with Silva leading the team in runs batted in. Pannone added a 2-for-3 effort, scoring two runs, tying Marioles for the team high.

In the circle, Marioles pitched a complete game, allowing two runs and striking out two Blue Angels in her first win of the season.