In a critical, hard-fought conference match-up, the AU women’s lacrosse team fell to Lafayette College 15-13 in overtime at Jacobs Field on Apr. 5.
Scrappy and aggressive offensive characterized the game for both teams, with AU earning three yellow cards during the contest and Lafayette picking up one. The lead bounced back and forth until the final minutes when Lafayette secured the win with two critical goals in overtime.
“There are a lot of positives in this game. I think it was one of our more complete games in terms of connecting from offense to defense,” head coach Emma Wallace said. “We just need to be prepared and continue to work hard and keep growing and not hang our heads for this loss. There is plenty of season left, plenty of beatable teams left, so we look forward to those.”
The Eagles (4-10, 0-5, PL) controlled the draws in the first half, and the tough offensive play paid off early when sophomore midfielder Terese Buechli capitalized on a free-position shot to rack up the first point of the game. Lafayette (5-9, 1-5, PL) answered with a goal of its own less than a minute later when sophomore attacker Charlotte Avallone launched the ball into the net to tie the game and set the tone for the evenly matched game.
AU led 9-6 after the first 30 minutes but was forced to intensify its defensive pressure in the second half as Lafayette gained momentum. Turnovers plagued the Eagles in the later minutes, and Lafayette outshot 7-4 in the second half.
With a minute left in regulation, the Eagles controlled the ball in the zone, passing it smoothly amongst themselves to manipulate to the clock. Maher fired a final shot on goal with three seconds remaining in the half, but her attempt went wide, and the match continued into overtime.
Lafayette took early possession of the ball in overtime, and freshman midfielder Kirsten Wilhelmsen capitalized on a critical free-position shot to secure the go-ahead goal for the Leopards. Senior midfielder Laura Kleiber netted the final point of the game for Lafayette as she maneuvered through the defense and rifled the ball past AU freshman goalkeeper Jackie Ferri.
AU struggled to match the offensive power of Lafayette in overtime, failing to deliver a single shot on goal during the last critical minutes.
“All in all, that game wasn’t for lack of effort or for lack of execution. We just came up on the other side of the coin,” Wallace said.
Sophomore midfielder Olivia Mangan led the Eagles with four points on three assists and one goal. Maher and senior attacker Alex Lugovina contributed team-highs of three goals each. Ferri made four crucial saves in the second half to keep her team tied during the final minutes.
The Eagles continue their conference play on April 9 as they take on the Greyhounds of Loyola University in Baltimore, Md.
