COLCHESTER, Vt. - Five players had multiple goals, and the Saint Michael's College women's lacrosse team kept its postseason hopes alive with a 16-5 victory over American International College on Wednesday at Duffy Field. The Purple Knights improved to 5-8 overall and 5-7 in the Northeast-10 Conference, claiming their highest league victories total since 2008, while the Yellow Jackets slipped to 5-12 and 2-11.

With one game remaining, Saint Michael's is tied for the eighth and final postseason berth in a conference that expanded its field by two spots this season. The Purple and Gold heads to varsity newcomer Pace University on Saturday for a 4 p.m. meeting, with that game and action around the league helping determine whether the squad qualifies for the NE-10 Championship for the first time in seven years.

Senior Kate Boyer (Standish, Maine/Bonny Eagle) had a career-high-tying five goals and a career-best six points during her final home game for the Purple Knights, improving her career point total to 93 while sliding into 12th in program annals with 86 goals. Junior Steph Bonewald (New London, N.H./Proctor Academy) turned in three goals, one assist, five ground balls, five caused turnovers and three draw controls. Senior Melissa Jaskiewicz (Kensington, Md./Bethesda-Chevy Chase) recorded her first hat trick since her third collegiate game by notching three goals in addition to four draw controls, three ground balls and three caused turnovers. Sophomore Grace Gunning (Norwell, Mass./Norwell) made five saves and nabbed six ground balls during 38:01 to earn the victory.

Sophomore Paige MacKinnon (Lowell, Mass./Lowell) added two goals and an assist for the hosts, tacking on three ground balls, and senior Kim Liberty (Jericho, Vt./Mount Mansfield Union/Saint Lawrence) scored twice. First-year Kealy Moyna (Yonkers, N.Y./The Ursuline School) recorded a goal and a helper, and senior Courtney Piper (Wolfeboro, N.H./Brewster Academy) handed out two assists to move into a tie for eighth in program history with 39 for her career. She added four ground balls and three caused turnovers, while senior Taylor Midgley (Hampton, N.H./Saint Thomas Aquinas) caused five turnovers and scooped four ground balls. Junior Casey Curtin (Waltham, Mass./Ursuline Academy) faced only one shot on goal during 21:59 of relief.

Sophomore Jessica Lawler (Mexico, N.Y./Mexico Academy) had three of AIC's five tallies, while classmate Alexis Torosian (Hopkinton, Mass./Hopkinton) turned aside 16 shots.

Bonewald scored twice in the opening 9:24 and found Liberty for another tally at 19:01 of the first half to provide Saint Michael's with a 3-0 advantage. Junior Sydney DeArmond (Westboro, Mass./Westboro) scored for the Yellow Jackets 40 seconds later on a free-position attempt, but Boyer scored and picked up an assist during an ensuing 4-0 run that took 3:45 to elapse. The hosts led 7-1. Boyer and Lawler both scored twice in the following 5:38, keeping AIC within 9-3, but Jaskiewicz tallied 2:07 before halftime to send her team in intermission ahead by seven goals.

MacKinnon scored twice and dished to Boyer during a 3-1 run over the opening 4:20 of the second half, providing a 13-4 advantage, and Lawler's goal at 18:14 was met by Purple Knight tallies from Jaskiewicz, Boyer and Moyna over a 4:06 stretch that made it 16-5 by the time 11:17 remained.