DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Apr. 22, 2017) - On Saturday, the No. 5/7 LIU Post women's lacrosse team came back from a four-goal deficit to defeat No. 16/12 Mercy College, 16-11, in East Coast Conference action at Mercy Field.

Trailing 5-1 in the opening 30 minutes of play, the Pioneers (11-2, 6-0 ECC) wrapped up the first half on a 11-2 run to rally to a five-goal advantage (12-7) at the break.

Senior attacker Connor Bird (Syosset, N.Y.) and sophomore midfielder Ryan McKinney (Downingtown, Pa.) each had five goals in the outburst. Fellow sophomore midfielder Trish Brisotti (Mattituck, N.Y.) and freshman midfielder Alyssa Mallery (Wantagh, N.Y.) added goals, as well.

In the second half, Mercy (13-2, 4-2 ECC) quickly closed the gap to a three-goal game (12-9), but LIU Post responded with three unanswered goals in a span of 6:46 to pull away for the win.

Red-shirt senior attacker Alexis Newman (Medford Lakes, N.J.) ignited the spurt with a free-position goal. McKinney and Mallery followed with tallies of their own to give the Pioneers their largest lead of the contest at 15-9.

McKinney had seven goals (five free-position goals) and an assist for a game-high-tying eight points. Bird registered six points (5 G, 1 A), to go along with three draw controls, three caused turnovers and two ground balls. Mallery added three points (2 G, 1 A), while Brisotti contributed two points (1 G, 1 A).

Between the pipes, junior goalie Olivia Kirk (Farmingdale, N.Y.) made eight saves for LIU Post, which held a 24-23 edge in shots and converted 9-of-11 (81.8 percent) free-position attempts. The Pioneers also owned a 15-14 differential in draws and were a perfect 10-of-10 on clears.

Head Coach Meghan McNamara and her LIU Post squad return to action Wednesday (Apr. 26), when they host St. Thomas Aquinas College in an ECC showdown at 4 p.m. at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium in Brookville.