BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Mar. 21, 2015) - The No. 8/11 LIU Post women's lacrosse team won a close 6-4 decision against Roberts Wesleyan on Saturday in an East Coast Conference showdown at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium.

Scoreless through nearly the first 10 minutes of the opening half, senior midfielder Jenna Pierro (Holbrook, N.Y.) and sophomore attacker Stefani Vagelatos (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) tallied two goals apiece in the last 20:06 of the period to stake the Pioneers (5-2, 2-0 ECC) to a 4-0 lead at the break.

Despite keeping the Redhawks (5-4, 1-2 ECC) off the board in the first 30 minutes, LIU Post staved off a rally from its opposition in the latter stanza.

Red-shirt sophomore attacker Emily Delaney (Long Valley, N.J.) sparked the scoring in the second half, netting a goal just 3:53 in to widen the green and gold's advantage to 5-0.

However, Roberts Wesleyan, behind a three-goal showing from Cassley Jackowski (Lafayette, N.Y.), closed the gap to 5-3 with 15:52 remaining.

That was as close as the Redhawks got though, as Pierro notched a key insurance goal at the 8:37 mark to secure the Pioneers' second conference victory of the year.

In addition to her three goals, Pierro collected four ground balls and three caused turnovers. Junior defender Brittany Smith (Dix Hills, N.Y.) and sophomore midfielder Connor Bird (Syosset, N.Y.), who recorded three assists, both caused three turnovers. Senior defender Emily Hanifan (Hicksville, N.Y.) and sophomore defender/midfielder Cara Douglas (West Islip, N.Y.) each scooped up three ground balls. Douglas won three draw controls, as well.

Between the pipes, freshman goalie Olivia Kirk (Farmingdale, N.Y.) made two saves for LIU Post. Her counterpart, Shannon Knapp (Lafayette, N.Y.), had nine saves for Roberts.

The Pioneers dominated the shot (24-13) and draw (9-3) counts in the contest, while also holding a 23-21 edge in ground balls.

Head Coach Meghan McNamara and her LIU Post squad return to action Wednesday (Mar. 25), when they face No. 11/9 Saint Anselm in non-conference action at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium. The opening draw is slated for 3 p.m.