Women's Notes: Lavender Leads Knights

By Sadie Lundquist

Saint Michael's earned a four-point weekend against conference opponent Long Island, marking its first win over LIU since Nov. 2, 2019. Seven of the last 10 meetings between the teams have been decided by two goals or fewer, with four going to overtime.

Saturday's team effort featured three different goal scorers and eight players recording points, with senior netminder and assistant captain Annika Lavender (Wayzata, Minnesota) continuing to be a catalyst between the pipes for the Purple Knights. Her performance over the weekend earned her NEWHA Goalie of the Week honors.

Lavender faced 99 shots over the weekend, making 97 saves while allowing just two goals for a .980 save percentage. The senior now has 47 career games with at least 40 saves and recorded her sixth career 50-save performance.

A look into the Saint Michael's record book highlights her impact: Lavender ranks second all-time in career saves with 2,419, just 94 shy of Erin Stevens' ('13) school record of 2,513. She also holds three of the top 10 single-game save totals, including a 69-save effort against then-No. 3 Clarkson in September 2024.

Lavender has two seasons in the top 10 for total saves, including the program record 1,171 saves in 2023-24. She ranks second in career minutes played, trailing only Stevens' 4,262:49.

The Purple Knights hit the road to face Harvard on Friday before returning to conference play the following weekend against Sacred Heart.