Box Score NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - On the strength of three individual hat tricks, the Smith College lacrosse team (4-11, 1-6 NEWMAC) produced a resounding 16-10 victory over the Coast Guard Bears (3-11, 0-8 NEWMAC) at Smith's Turf Field on Saturday, April 18.
 
The Pioneers opened the second half on a 6-0 run to overwhelm the Bears and log their first conference win since April 10, 2012.
 
In pre-game ceremonies, Smith honored its senior class of Petru Bester (Deep River, Conn./Valley Regional), Jenny Estes (Falmouth, Mass./Falmouth), Simone Lawrence (Springfield, Mass./MacDuffie School), Jessica Lillquist (East Lyme, Conn./East Lyme) and Angela Schondek (Raynham, Mass./Coyle & Cassidy).
 
The Pioneers out-shot the Bears, 30-to-26, with each side winning 14 draw controls. Smith converted on 6-of-11 from the eight-meter arc, while first-year goalkeeper Sarah Price (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) held the Bears to 4-of-10 shooting on free-position attempts.
 
Five Smith players finished with three points or more. Lillquist led the way, scoring six goals and adding an assist to move into fourth all-time with 156 career points. Junior Rachel Silveria (Dunstable, Mass./Groton-Dunstable) scored four goals and dished out two helpers, while Bester tallied her third hat-trick of the season in her final home game as a Pioneer. Estes chipped in two goals and an assist, and first-year Julia Hamilton (Williamstown, Mass./Deerfield Academy) notched a goal and two assists.
 
Defensively, the Pioneers were fast to the ball and had 24 ground balls to Coast Guard's 16. Schondek finished with an assist and a game-high five ground balls, while Lawrence added four ground balls. Sophomore Quinn Lavigne (Portland, Maine/Portland) caused a team-best two turnovers, while Lillquist was responsible for six of Smith's 14 draw
controls.
 
Price stopped 12 shots in net for Smith to notch the win, while first-year Angel Fay (Culver, Ind.) turned aside six shots in the loss for Coast Guard.
 
Four Coast Guard players scored two goals including sophomore Niki Kruger (Coronado, Calif.), senior Holly Moore (Pittsfield, Mass.), junior Kaitlin Dickson (Huntington Station, N.Y.), and first-year Cecelia Hosley.
 
Smith burned under two minutes off the clock before it struck first with a goal by Lillquist. The lead was short-lived as Moore converted on an eight-meter shot to equalize just 90 seconds later. The Pioneers went on a 6-0 run, highlight by two of Bester's markers to take a 7-1 lead with 16:04 remaining in the first stanza.
 
The Bears answered with a 5-0 spurt of their own, cutting Smith's lead to one, 7-6 with 6:31 remaining in the first half. After five minutes scoreless by both sides, Silveria took a feed from Lillquist to put Smith ahead, 8-6. Coast Guard senior Ruby Surgent (Huntingtown, Md.) scored with just four seconds to play in the first half, with Smith taking a narrow 8-7 lead into the break.
 
The Pioneers went on a 6-0 run to open the first half, including Estes second goal of the contest some 18 seconds into the second stanza. Kruger scored back-to-back markers to stop the run and draw the Bears to within five (14-9) with 11:53 to play, but Lillquist answered with two-straight goals to seal the win for Smith.
 
Smith closes out the 2015 season on Tuesday at Mount Holyoke (6 p.m.), while Coast Guard concludes their inaugural season at Merchant Marine (6 p.m.).