Wesleyan’s Comeback Efforts Fall Short as No. 7 Tufts Rallies Late to Win, 12-7

Recap courtesy of Wesleyan University, Photo by Jonas Powell '18

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The 14th-ranked Wesleyan University women's lacrosse team rallied from an early five-goal deficit to tie the game at 7-7 with 13:30 remaining in regulation, but No. 7 Tufts University scored five unanswered goals down the stretch to seal a 12-7 win at Smith Field Saturday afternoon.

Abby Manning '20 and Johanna Copeland '21 led the Cardinals (7-4, 3-3 NESCAC) with two goals each, while Sydney Prokupek '21 tallied two points on one goal and one assist. Dakota Adamec was impressive for the Jumbos (9-1, 6-0 NESCAC) as she tallied seven points on six goals and one assist.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

• Tufts got on the board first and despite being down a player, Adamec placed a free position shot into the bottom right corner of the net at the 21:01 mark.
• Just over a minute later, Wesleyan took advantage of the player-up opportunity as Prokupek cut through the middle of the defense and sent one past the Tufts goalkeeper to even the score.
• Adamec and the Jumbos rallied and scored five unanswered goals from 17:02-to-5:50 to take a commanding 6-1 lead. Adamec scored three straight to start the run while Catherine Lawliss capped it off with a free position goal.
• Despite the momentum in Tufts' favor, Wesleyan responded nicely and went on a run of its own to end the half. The Cardinals scored three goals in the final 4:42 to cut the deficit to two, 6-4, at the break.
• Wesleyan's hot streak continued early in the second half when Prokupek found Copeland for her first career goal at the 26:39 mark to get within one.
• After a Tufts goal from Maddie Norman increased the visitors' lead back to two, the Cardinals scored back-to-back goals shortly after to even the score. Manning scored her second of the game at the 19:07 mark and Copeland scored off a free position shot to tie the game at 7-7 with 13:30 to play.
• Less than six minutes later, Annie Sullivan scored what proved to be the game-winner before the Jumbos tallied four more goals down the stretch to put the game away.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Five Cardinals factored into Wesleyan's scoring while Jordan Ansell '21, Amy Breitfeller '19 and Julia Gretsky '20 each had three ground balls. Breitfeller caused four turnovers as well and Allegra Grant '20 made nine saves in net.
• Emily Games scored twice and Sullivan scored a goal and added an assist for the Jumbos. In all, six players were involved in Tufts' 12 goals. In addition to seven points, Adamec also led all players with six draw controls and Norman posted a team-high four caused turnovers. Goalie Audrey Evers stopped 7-of-14 shots.
• Tufts held a commanding 17-3 edge in draw controls.
• Despite the loss, Wesleyan held the NESCAC's top goal-scoring team to four below its average.

UP NEXT:

• The Cardinals have a quick turnaround as they return to Smith Field Tuesday, April 10 for another top-10 NESCAC matchup against No. 8 Trinity. The game is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.

APICI SCORES LONE GOAL IN, 16-1, LOSS TO PANTHERS

Providence, R.I.--Rhode Island College senior attacker Alasondra Apici (Providence, RI) scored the lone goal as the Anchorwomen fell to Plymouth State, 16-1, in Little East Conference women’s lacrosse action played at Alumni Field on Saturday afternoon.

THE BASICS Plymouth State 16, Rhode Island College 1 (Plymouth State 6-3, 2-0 LEC) (Rhode Island College 1-6, 0-2 LEC)

Senior attacker Alasondra Apici

HOW IT HAPPENED • Plymouth State scored off the opening draw when senior attacker Megan Tingley (Natick, MA) found the back of the net just 11 seconds into the contest. The Panthers scored four times in the first 10 minutes and built a 10-0 advantage at halftime.   • PSU outshot RIC, 27-6, in the first half and also held advantages in ground balls, 19-9, and draw controls, 7-4.   • Senior attacker Sam Sullivan (Canton, MA) scored the last goal of the first half and the opening marker of the second frame as the Panthers increased their advantage to 13-0 with 21:33 left in the game.   • Apici broke up the shutout bid with an unassisted tally with 13:20 left in the contest. The visitors netted the next three to close out the win.   • Tingley finished with three goals and two assists for five points to go along with three draw controls. Sullivan also notched a hat trick with three goals and one assist for four points, while adding four caused turnovers. Six Panthers scored two or more goals in the win.   • Sophomore midfielder Sydney Dubois (Goffstown, NH) had two goals and one assist for three points and hauled in a team-best four draw controls and four ground balls.   • PSU senior goalkeeper Clarissa Foote (Weare, NH) made three saves without allowing a goal in the first half to pick up the win (5-3) before giving way to junior netminder Emilee Wargo (Madison, CT) for the second frame. Wargo made two saves.   • RIC junior goalkeeper Julia Eaton (Cumberland, RI) made 18 saves in the loss (1-6). Senior Jessica Trautman (Narragansett, RI) registered three caused turnovers and picked up four ground balls.   • Plymouth State held the advantage in shots, 41-11, ground balls, 31-19 and draw controls, 12-6.

WHAT’S NEXT

• In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will host Salve Regina on Thursday, April 12 (6:30 p.m.).

NICHOLS DEFEATS ANCHORWOMEN, 19-12

Apici Scores Four in Losing Effort

Dudley, Mass.—Senior defender Alasondra Apici (Providence, RI), while classmate midfielder Jessica Trautman (Narragansett, RI) netted three, but it wouldn't be enough as the Rhode Island College women's lacrosse team dropped a 19-12 decision at Nichols on Thursday evening.

THE BASICS

Nichols 19, Rhode Island College 12 (Rhode Island College 1-5) (Nichols 2-4)

Senior midfielder Jessica Trautman

HOW IT HAPPENED • RIC freshman midfielder Madison McKenna (Cumberland, RI) notched one goal and added four assists. • Freshman midfielder Lily Fortin (Warwick, RI) also notched five points with two goals and three assists in the setback for the Anchorwomen. • Sophomore attacker Miranda Smith (Methuen, MA) paced Nichols with four goals and one assist, while senior midfielder Lindsay O'Connell (Danvers, MA) added four goals in the victory. • Junior attacker Kirsten Sullivan (Arlington, MA) posted three goals and added a pair of assists in the win for the Bison. • Nichols jumped out to an early, 7-2, advantage before RIC chipped away at the lead and closed the gap to 7-4 on a free position goal by Fortin with 11:03 left in the first half. • The Bison took a 9-6 lead heading into halftime. • RIC kept the deficit to within three when three straight goals from Trautman put the score at 12-9 with just over 20 minutes left in the contest. • Nichols then tallied four straight during a two minute stretch to pull ahead 16-9 before taking the 19-12 victory. • Junior goalkeeper Julia Eaton (Cumberland, RI) made 20 saves in the setback for RIC, while sophomore Emily Eagan (Hingham, MA) notched 10 stops in the victory for Nichols.

No. 14 Women's Lacrosse Edged by No. 6 Amherst, 8-6

Photo by Jonas Powell '18

AMHERST, Mass. – Sixth-ranked Amherst College rallied late and used a 4-1 run to edge the 14th-ranked Wesleyan University women's lacrosse team, 8-6, Wednesday evening at Pratt Field at Lehrman Stadium.

With the win, Amherst improves to 8-1 on the season and 4-1 in league play, while the Cardinals fall to 7-3 overall (3-2 NESCAC). 

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

• Netting the first two scores of the matchup, the Cardinals jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first five minutes. Striking at the 26:57 mark, Abigail Horst '19 scored an unassisted tally to get the visitors on the board before Emi Ogden-Fung '19 powered a dish from Sydney Prokupek '21 into the nylon with 25:53 on the clock.
• Responding 27 seconds later, Maia Noyes capitalized on a Wesleyan yellow card to notch a player-up score and cut the Mammoths' deficit to one.
• Extending the Cardinals' lead to 3-1, Horst logged her second goal of the contest and what stood as the visitors final marker of the first half with 18:02 remaining.
• Down by a goal heading into intermission, Katherine Malone scored at the 13:10 mark to get Amherst within one, 3-2. Powering the shot over the goal line 29 seconds after an Amherst timeout, Claire Dunbar dished a pass to a streaking Malone in the slot who quickly sent the ball into the top right corner.
• Doubling up Wesleyan, 6-3 in the second half behind the strength of three free position markers, the Mammoths rallied past the Cardinals to secure the 8-6 conference victory.
• Trading scores to open the final 30 minutes of action, Isabelle Sennett split two defenders at the 27:33 mark and snuck a shot inside the right post to even the bout at 3-3 before Therese Mittleman '20 countered with a score on a pass from Rylee White '21 one minute and 32 seconds later.
• Notching the Mammoths first of three free position goals in the half with 21:38 on the clock, Dunbar deadlocked the sides at 4-4.
• Giving the visitors their final lead of the game at the 18:11 mark, Horst collected a hat trick on the day with a free position goal into the bottom right corner.
• The final 16:59 of the Little III matchup featured a 4-1 comeback run by Amherst, with Sennett starting the Mammoths' rally with a highlight reel score with two defenders closing in. Noyes was credited with the assist on the marker.
• Taking their first lead with 8:15 remaining in regulation, Leah Ritterband cut towards the goal and drove a pass from Dunbar into the top left corner following an Amherst timeout before Mary Grace Cronin scored a free position shot to extend the home team's lead to 7-5.
• Abby Manning '20 returned the favor at the 6:42 mark, logging a free position goal of her own to cut the Cardinals' deficit to 7-6, however, Cronin registered the final dagger for Amherst with 5:25 to play, bouncing a shot past the Wesleyan goalkeeper to lift the Mammoths to the 8-6 victory.

BY THE NUMBERS:

• In between the pipes, Talia Land (8-1) recorded three saves in the winning effort for Amherst, while Allegra Grant '20 (7-3) made seven stops for Wesleyan.
• The Mammoths owned a 15-9 edge in shots on target and a 24-19 advantage in ground balls, while the Cardinals led draw controls, 8-7.
• Amherst finished 17-for-20 on clears and 3-for-6 on free position shots, while Wesleyan went 18-for-24 on clear attempts and 2-for-6 on free position opportunities. 

UP NEXT:

• The Cardinals are back in action Saturday, April 7 for another difficult NESCAC matchup as they host No. 7 Tufts at 12 p.m.

* Recap courtesy of Amherst Athletic Communications *

Trinity Women's Lacrosse Clobbers Connecticut College

Recap, photo courtesy of Trinity

Hartford, Conn. - Senior Grace O'Donnell (Yarmouth, Maine) and first-year Sophie Berger (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) had three goals and one assist each to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 17-2 victory over the visiting Connecticut College Camels in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) women's lacrosse action this evening at Jessee/Miller Field.  Trinity, ranked No. 8 in the nation, improves to 8-2 overall and 4-1 in the NESCAC with its fourth win in a row, while the Camels fall to 3-7 overall and 0-6 in the league.  The Bantams will visit conference rival Hamilton on Saturday at noon and Connecticut College will host NESCAC foe Bates at the same time on the same day.

Trinity raced to a 10-0 lead by the 9:12 mark of the first half, including two tallies apiece by Berger, senior tri-captain midfielder Allie Barrett (Concord, Mass.), and sophomore midfielder Emma Fehnel (Wenham, Mass.).  Sophomore Kate Bermingham (Amherst, N.H.) scored the first Camel goal with 7:34 left in the opening stanza, converting on a pass from the right wing by classmate Julia Loesch (Charlotte, N.C.), but the Bantams answered with a 6-0 run.  First-year midfielder Kendall Milligan (Needham, Mass.) gave the momentum back to the home squad with the final goal of the first half with 4:36 on the clock, and sophomore attacker Caroline Toomey (Wrentham, Mass.) fed O'Donnell on two of the six Trinity goals during the 6-0 spurt to give the Bantams a 16-1 advantage with 8:46 left to play.  Each team scored one in the final two minutes.

Trinity outshot Connecticut College, 25-10, and the Camels committed 15 turnovers to nine for the Bantams.  Barrett joined O'Donnell and Berger with Trinity hat tricks, while Milligan finished with a goal and two assists.  Sophomore defender Morgan Strabley (Summit, N.J.) scooped three ground balls, and senior tri-captain defender Clara Nowlan (Needham, Mass.) notched two ground balls and two caused turnovers for the Bantams.  Senior tri-captain Zoe Ferguson (Ridgewood, N.J.) and rookie Karinna Cave-Hawkins (Edgewater, Md.) combined for five Trinity saves, and first-year Marcella Flibotte (Cohasset, Mass.) contributed a team-high two draw controls and two caused turnovers.  Junior Jamie Navoni (Natick, Mass.) scored the second Camel goal and added a game-high six draw controls, while sophomore Kirby Heffrin (Marblehead, Mass.) paced Connecticut College with two ground balls. Senior Megan Mullin (Sudbury, Mass.) made four saves and freshman Nina Fazio (East Longmeadow, Mass.) had two for the visitors.

Brown Unviersity Women’s Lacrosse Cruises Past Louisville, 17-10

Recap, photo courtesy of Brown University

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Four Bears recorded hat tricks as the Brown women's lacrosse team defeated Louisville, 17-10, on Wednesday afternoon at Stevenson-Pincince Field. Brown outscored the visitor 10-4 in the second half after leading the Cardinals by one at the break. The win moves the Bears to 6-4 on the year while Louisville falls to 6-6.

Freshman Risa Mosenthal (Campton, N.H.) led all scorers with seven points on five goals and two assists while junior Hafsa Moinuddin (Cheshire, Conn.) (4G, 2A), junior Caroline Zaffino (Darien, Conn.) (3G, 1A), senior Carolyn Paletta (Greenwich, Conn.) (3G) and freshman Maggie Fowler (Bethesda, Md.) (1G, 2A) generated multi-point efforts.

Louisville opened with two goals at 22:10 (Tessa Chad) and 20:27 (Emily Howell) to take a 2-0 lead.

RWU Women’s Lacrosse Grounds Salve

Box Score

BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Women's Lacrosse team cruised to a 21-4 victory over Salve Regina University Tuesday evening in Commonwealth Coast Conference action.
 
Kaity Doherty (Portsmouth, R.I.) briefly gave Salve Regina a 1-0 lead with her third goal of the season three minutes in. Emily Stoeppel (Brookfield, Conn.) answered with a pair of goals within a minute to put RWU up 2-0.
 
Her scores were part of a 5-0 Hawk run, while included an unassisted goal by Maeve Gillis (Duxbury, Mass.), her first collegiate score. Lindsay Smith (North Attleboro, Mass.) and Olivia Slysz (South Hadley, Mass.) logged back-to-back scored with 18:52 left in the first half to help bring Salve Regina within two.
 
However, Carlyn Martin (Scituate, Mass.), Shayne Rivard (Easton, Conn.), and Devon Sarazin (Falmouth, Maine) each scored over the next two minutes to put the Hawks back up by five (8-3). Stefanie Salisbury (Cranston, R.I.) ended the run with a goal for Salve with just over 13 minutes left in the half, but the Hawks scored six unanswered goals to close out the half and take a 14-4 lead into halftime.
 
Roger Williams would continue to pour on the offense in the second half, holding the Seahawks without a goal in the period. Stoeppel and Kaelin Hogan (Bethel, Conn.) each scored three times for Roger Williams in the period, with Delana Erickson (Concord, N.H.) adding the other tally for RWU.
 
Lydia Nelson (Center Moriches, N.Y.) had seven saves on the day as she earned her sixth win of the year. Stoeppel finished with nine points (6 G, 3 A) for RWU with Hogan adding eight (5 G, 3 A).
 
Christina Myers (River Edge, N.J.) had 16 saves for Salve in the loss. Doherty and Smith each had a goal and a caused turnover in the game.
 
On Saturday, Roger Williams (6-2, 2-0 CCC) heads to Wheaton while Salve Regina (0-6, 0-2 CCC) goes to Nichols.

No. 12 Women's Lacrosse Rallies to Defeat St. Lawrence, 8-6

Photo by Jonas Powell '18

ENGLEWOOD, Fla. - Trailing by one with 11:22 to play in regulation, the 12th-ranked Wesleyan University women's lacrosse team rallied with three straight goals to seal an 8-6 win over St. Lawrence early Thursday afternoon at Dever Park in Englewood, Fla. Abigail Horst '19 scored three goals to lead all players.

Wesleyan concludes its Spring Break trip with a 2-0 mark and improves to an impressive 6-1 overall on the year. Following the loss, the Saints drop to 2-2 on the year.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

• The two teams exchanged goals throughout much of the first half.
• St. Lawrence got on the board first just one minute and 14 seconds into play as Rachel Boghosian found the back of the net.
• After more than 14 minutes of scoreless action, the Cardinals evened the score as Horst took advantage of a free position shot. However, the Saints regained a lead less than a minute later.
• Both teams exchanged the next two goals as Wesleyan trailed 3-2 with 5:48 to play in the half. 
• The Cardinals evened the score at the 3:07 mark, and with time expiring, Caitlin Wood '19 pumped faked the defender before bouncing her shot into the net with just six seconds remaining to give Wesleyan its first lead of the game as it went into halftime with a 4-3 lead.
• The second half started much like the first with St. Lawrence scoring early at the 25:40 mark.
• Over 11 minutes went by without a score from either team until Therese Mittleman '20 scored off a free position shot.
• Trailing by one, the Saints rallied with two goals from Kayla Schmalz and Alexandra LaMotte at the 12:37 and 11:22 marks, respectively, to regain a 6-5 lead. 
• LaMotte's goal proved to be the last for St. Lawrence, however, as Wesleyan rallied down the stretch with three unanswered goals.
• Julia Gretsky '20 evened the game at 6-6 with 10:11 left to play and Sydney Prokupek '21 tallied the game-winner at the 6:48 mark. Horst added an insurance tally with 1:55 remaining.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Six Cardinals factored into the scoring for Wesleyan. Caroline Sgaglione '19 led all players with six ground balls and sophomore goalie Allegra Grant stopped 8-of-14 shots en route to her sixth win of the season.
• Schmalz led St. Lawrence with two goals, Jacqueline Sovie tallied five ground balls and Tayler Kent caused four turnovers. Goalie Olga Lukas registered seven saves.
• Wesleyan held a 22-18 edge in shots and 9-7 lead in draw controls. 

UP NEXT:

• The Cardinals are back in action Wednesday, March 28 and will host Stevens at 6 p.m.