Albany, N.Y. - Taylor Frink matched a career-high with four goals and Melanie Sosnowski scored three times in leading UAlbany to a 14-7 victory over Massachusetts on Saturday, March 20 at John Fallon Field. The Great Danes, who improved to 4-1 overall, are off to their best start as a Division I program.
     The Great Danes raced to a 6-1 lead in the opening 20 minutes of play. Sosnowski placed a shot inside the right post after midfielder Nikki Branchini came up with the first draw and passed ahead. Frink gave her team a 2-0 advantage with 59 seconds elapsed as she moved around the cage, working right to left, and went low from the top of the crease.
     After Massachusetts (3-6) sliced the lead in half, UAlbany scored four uanswered. Mel Rorie, a junior midfielder, found the net twice in that sequence, the first off a free-position attempt and the second by converting a drive with a tough-angle blast into the lower left corner. Olivia Jarem completed the run when she connected on a high shot from the left side.
     The Minutewomen, who are the favorites to win this year's Atlantic 10 Conference title after capturing the championship last year, trailed 9-3 early in the final period, before producing back-to-back goals by Danielle Pelletier and Jackie Lyons. Pelletier fired a free-position shot inside the left post and Lyons, a first-team all-conference midfielder, came from behind the cage with 17:51 remaining.
     UAlbany responded with consecutive goals from Frink and Kayla Best. Frink circled around the net to the right side to score with a low shot. Best, a senior midifielder who had two goals and two assists, drove from the point and snet a low, sidearm delivery from the right past goalkeeper Katie Florence for an 11-5 cushion with 9:28 to play.
     Still leading 12-7, the Great Danes secured their first win in seven meetings with UMass by finding the cage twice in the last two minutes. Sosnowski, who also handed two assists, hit an empty net off a feed from Jodi Battaglia against a defensive double-team. Frink and Sosnowski teamed up on a fastbreak goal following a clearing pass with 44.8 seconds remaining.
     "The defense played really well and kept making stops to give our attack opportunities," said UAlbany coach Linsdsey Hart, whose goalkeeper Ashley Ross made seven saves. "We responded well against a high-pressure team. We stuck to the game plan."
     Florence finished with 12 saves for the Minutewomen, who return nine starters from last year's NCAA Tournament squad. Senior midfielder Merritt Cosgrove had one goal and one assist to lead the offense. UAlbany's Battaglia had one goal and assisted on another.
     "UMass is a tough opponent, but we played good team defense and worked well together," explained Branchini, a midfielder who totaled six draw controls, three ground balls and caused a pair of turnovers. "We wanted to get to those 50-50 balls. When things got closer (in the second half), the defense did a good job of putting a stop to it."

Paw Prints:  Taylor Frink is first among the America East Conference scoring leaders at 4.60 points per game ... Frink has 23 total points (16 goals, 7 assists) ... Kayla Best moved into fourth place on the program's career scoring chart with 166 points (136 goals, 30 assists) ... Best climbed ahead of Hall of Famer Debbie August '96 and has scored a goal in 51 consecutive games ... Melanie Sosnowski netted three-plus goals for the fifth time as a collegian.

UAlbany 14, Massachusetts 7 (Mar 20, 2010, Albany, N.Y., John Fallon Field)