The AU women's lacrosse team staged a major second-half rally but fell short of its goal, losing to the Drexel Dragons Wednesday, 14-11, in the final home game of the season.
It was truly a game of two distinct halves. Senior Moriah Linnell scored her 100th career goal only 40 seconds into the game, one of her four in the match, to give AU (5-10) a quick 1-0 lead.
However, this lead was short-lived, as Drexel junior Kerry Kelly scored the first of her three goals two minutes later to tie the game up at 1-1. Drexel then went on a 7-0 run to take a commanding 8-1 lead midway through the first half.
AU broke Drexel's run with 8 minutes 42 seconds left in the half with a goal by sophomore Lauren Lane. The two teams traded goals to end the half, giving Drexel a 10-3 advantage.
After the quick strikes by Drexel to open the second half and extend its lead to 13-3, it looked as if the Dragons (11-4) would run away with the game.
Despite this, the Eagles kept their composure and started a dramatic rally, scoring six consecutive goals to cut the lead to 13-9.
Drexel sophomore Kaitlin Keegan pushed the deficit back to five at the 4:34 mark, ending AU's chance at a comeback. AU scored two more times to cut the lead to 14-11, but that's how the score stood at the final horn.
With the overall shot total for the game relatively even, the match came down to goaltending. AU senior Kathleen Finnegan struggled in the first half, giving up eight goals on 12 shots before being pulled with 8:42 to go in the opening period. Her replacement, sophomore Kristine Vida, fared much better, saving 11 of the 17 shots that she faced.
AU coach Ashley Flanagan praised her young 'keeper after the game.
"She really took advantage of the opportunity to play," she said. "She was able to see the shots clearly and was instrumental in keeping us in the game."
While she was impressed with the comeback, Flanagan was again disappointed with the overall style of play.
"We need to play better and continue the momentum we had in the second half for an entire 60 minutes," she said. "We need to play better for a complete game rather than at certain times."
The loss extended AU's losing streak to four games, something that they will need to turn around before their final Patriot League game of the season at Bucknell on Saturday. The team, which is 3-2 in the conference, will be able to clinch a spot in the PL tournament with a win over the Bison.
