LOUDONVILLE, NY – Facing one of the nation's top scorers in USA Lacrosse Preseason All-American Honorable Mention redshirt junior Nikki Mennella and the Hofstra Pride, the Siena Women's Lacrosse team's defense rose to the challenge as the Saints limited Mennella to just one goal in the early going and one late after Siena had taken command of the game to earn a 10-6 season-opening victory at Hickey Field on Friday afternoon.

Siena (1-0) won its season opener for the first time since 2023 and improved its strong home field record to 37-11 (.770) during the 2020's decade in Loudonville. 

Junior Olivia Nicholson, the Saints' returning top scorer from a year ago, delivered with a hat trick, and junior Jenna Pollicino provided four helpers as seven different Saints scored in the game.

On defense, sophomore McAllister Salter was stern, coming up with seven saves in a full 60 minutes in net.

The first quarter began with a draw control by Siena's Sydney Hannes, setting the stage for an evenly matched contest.

Mennella opened the scoring with a man-up goal, assisted by Kayleigh Bender at 11:02. Siena responded with Elizabeth Wamp scoring at 7:32, assisted by Pollicino, to tie the game.

Hofstra briefly regained the lead through Bender's goal at 6:00, before Siena surged ahead with consecutive goals from Nicholson, Avery Connolly, and Koehler Nieman. The quarter ended with Siena leading 4-2.

Kate Lemery of the Pride scored a man-up goal, assisted by Bender, early in the second quarter at 13:58. Siena responded swiftly with Eva Pflomm scoring at 13:45, followed by Nicholson netting a free position goal at 12:54, extending Siena's lead.

Hofstra's Shannon Steck managed to close the gap with a goal at 8:03, but Siena regained momentum as Lauren O'Hagan scored a man-up goal at 2:24.

In the final moments, Sara Curley, assisted by Pollicino, scored with just four seconds left in the quarter, solidifying Siena's lead as the quarter ended with a score of 8-4 in favor of the Saints.

Connolly scored for the Saints on a free position shot with 1:11 remaining in the third quarter. Hofstra responded quickly as Charli Joyce found the back of the net with 19 seconds left, assisted by Bender, while playing with a man advantage. The quarter featured strong defensive efforts with Salter making multiple saves, including a free position shot from Bender at the 8:00 mark. Both teams managed one goal each in the quarter.

The fourth quarter featured a balanced scoring effort from both teams, each netting one goal. Nicholson scored for Siena at 11:14, assisted by Pollicino, to extend their lead. Hofstra responded with a goal by Mennella at 5:13, narrowing the gap.

Defensive efforts were prominent, with Salter making key saves for Siena, including stopping a shot from Steck at 2:15.

Mennella had entered with 115 career goals in 34 games including a team-high 62 goals in 2025. 

Next up, Siena will travel to take on Binghamton (0-1) next Friday at 3 p.m. from Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal.  The Bearcats fell to Marist 10-6 earlier on Friday.