The women’s lacrosse team played two top Liberty League opponents over the week and, as a result, were unable to come away with wins, dropping them to seventh in the league.
On Tuesday, the Continentals of Hamilton College, who are currently undefeated in the league and ranked first in the New York region of Division III, came to play at Fauver Stadium. The ‘Jackets were almost able to keep up, but they couldn’t quite make it, as they were edged out in the last 10 minutes of the game, 13-12.
It was a back-and-forth battle, as neither team showed command until the second part of the second half. Hamilton scored the first goal of the game, but sophomore Lindsay Dakin came back soon after with a goal of her own off an assist from sophomore Sierra Laventure-Volz. It was another from Hamilton and two more from UR, as Dakin nabbed another, this time with help from sophomore Erica Gelb, and freshman Amanda Case took the other off a free position shot. The Continentals gave another response, but Case netted her second, making the score 4-3 in UR’s favor, and the game was only half way through the first half.
The remainder of the half was a little calmer with only four goals scored. Hamilton didn’t allow UR the lead for long and made another goal soon after Case’s second. After nearly five minutes of scoreless play with a tied score, Hamilton finally made a move that gave them the lead. However, sophomore Abby Woodward quickly changed this with a goal of her own off an assist from senior Laura Giusto. It looked as though the teams were going to enter halftime with a tie score, but with only nine seconds left, a Hamilton player hit the back of the net to give the Continentals the advantage, 6-5, for the break.
The ‘Jackets started the second half strong, as they scored three in a row in just over the first five minutes of play. Junior Mimi Hong took a free position shot, and Case made one in to complete a hat trick for the day. The third goal of the run came from sophomore Mary Kate Hannan at 24:57 with help from sophomore Megan Jenkins, making the score 8-6.
Hamilton wouldn’t let it go, however, and they scored two in a row to tie it up once again. Hong responded with another goal off an assist from senior Christina Montano. Montano then took one of her own within 30 seconds, this time unassisted, to make the score 10-8. Hamilton then took control in the next six minutes. They went on a 4-0 run, taking them ahead, 12-10. Montano then helped the ‘Jackets in their attempt to catch up with her second goal of the game.
The Continentals made one final shot, and the Yellowjackets struggled to catch up. They made one final attempt at redeeming themselves with a goal from freshman Danielle Mondro, but they were unsuccessful. The game ended with Hamilton up, 13-12.
Defensively, sophomore goalie Leslie Dube made 13 saves at the goal. Sophomore Marlena Fisher caused five turnovers and had three ground balls. Woodward won five draw controls.
Last Friday night, UR took on the Herons of William Smith College. The Herons took control early, scoring 23 seconds into play and once again just over a minute later. UR rebutted with a goal from Woodward on an assist from Montano. However, William Smith refused to tolerate this and responded with another goal 10 seconds later.
The Herons continued to score three more, making the score 6-1. Hannan tried to amend the deficit and gain some momentum for the team with a goal assisted by Mondro. Her attempt was unsuccessful, though, as William Smith then went on a 3-0 run. Hong scored one with 8:31 left in the first half off of an assist by Jenkins, but William Smith had the final word of the period, sending one in at 3:58 to end the half up 10-3.
After the break, the ‘Jackets came back with full force in hopes of redeeming themselves, scoring three of the first four goals. Giusto started it off with a score from a free position shot. Woodward netted two more for the hat trick with one William Smith goal in between, tallying a score of 11-6.
The Yellowjackets couldn’t hold on, though, and William Smith scored two more goals. The final stand came from Montano, who scored UR’s last two goals, one off an assist from Mondro and one free position shot. But it was not enough, and the Herons ended the game with one last goal, making the final score 14-8.
On the defensive end, Dakin had three ground balls. Hong and Montano caused two turnovers each. Dube had 10 saves for the game, five in each half. The teams were even in caused turnovers, with nine each. William Smith had a slight advantage in ground balls, with 22 compared to the ‘Jackets’ 21. The Herons also had the advantage in draw controls, taking 17 while UR only had seven.
The ‘Jackets are now 2-4 in Liberty League play and 2-7 overall. This weekend, they will take on Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at home on Friday at 4 p.m. and Vassar College at home on Saturday. If they win both of these games, the ‘Jackets are guaranteed to move on to the Liberty League playoffs.
Philbrick is a member of the class of 2009.
