MEADVILLE, Pa. -- The Allegheny College women's lacrosse team wrapped up the 2024 regular season with yet another commanding victory, as the Gators beat the Barons of Franciscan University, 21-5, on Saturday afternoon.

Prior to the regular-season finale, the Gators recognized their five student-athletes from the Class of 2024 - Sybi Gerhart (Denver, Pa./Cocalico), Emily Herrold (Hampstead, Md./Manchester Valley), Sarah Thorman (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial), Kennedy Kyle (Seven Fields, Pa./Seneca Valley), and Ashley Amato (Westerly, R.I./Westerly) - with a special Senior Day ceremony.

All five seniors factored into the win. Amato (3g-3a) was tied for the team lead in points, while Herrold posted four points (3g-1a) with a team-high six draw controls. Gerhart and Kyle both scored once and added one assist. In goal, Thorman earned the victory with four saves.

The game was never in doubt, as Allegheny scored nine unanswered goals to open the first quarter. Franciscan managed to score three in a row in the third quarter, but Herrold quickly squashed any remaining thoughts of a comeback with two goals in the last two minutes of the third. The defense then held the Barons off the scoreboard for the entire fourth quarter.

Inside the Box Score

• Allegheny overwhelmed Franciscan with a 45-to-12 advantage in shots.
• The Gators also won more draws (17-to-11) and picked up more ground balls (30-to-20).
• The Barons struggled to maintain possession, as evidenced by their 30 turnovers and 8-for-28 (28.6%) showing on clears.
• On the other hand, Allegheny converted 14-of-17 (82.4%) clear attempts.
• Katherine Surdykowski (Chesterfield, N.J./Northern Burlington County Regional) scored a team-high five goals with six ground balls, four draws, and three caused turnovers.
• Amato scored three goals with a team-high three assists and tied Surdykowski with a team-leading six points.
• Herrold, Lauren Petrarca (Simi Valley, Calif./Royal), and Ema Caragein (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton LaSalle) all finished with hat tricks.
• Petrarca caused a team-high six turnovers, while Herrold won a team-best six draw controls.
• Amelia Henderson (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) netted one goal, grabbed five ground balls, and caused four turnovers.

News and Notes

• Allegheny finished the regular season with a 9-6 overall record and an 8-1 record against Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) opponents.
• The Gators have won eight consecutive games, all against conference teams.
• Allegheny leads the all-time series against Franciscan, 4-0, dating back to 2013.
• The Gators scored a season-high 21 goals for the second time this spring.
• Petrarca has caused a team-leading 35 caused turnovers so far this season, the most by a Gator since Gretchen Barbera '21 had 38 in 2019.
• Surdykowski's 39 points are the most by an Allegheny freshman since Maddie Olsen '20 had 52 in 2017.

Up Next
Allegheny has secured the No. 2 seed for the upcoming PAC Championship Tournament. The Gators will host the quarterfinal winner between Westminster College and Grove City College in the semis on Thursday, May 2, at 7:00 p.m.