The first half of the women’s lacrosse team’s matchup with Union College was something like a runaway train.
Liza Maizel had a goal and an assist in the recent loss to Union. Courtesy of UR Athletics.
It took a full three minutes for the Dutchwomen — who entered the game second in the Liberty League with a 5-1 record against conference rivals — to break through a tough UR defense. Up to this point, the visiting ‘Jackets had kept Union on its toes, making several drives at opposing net before losing track of Union’s Casey Dianni, who scored her 11th goal of the season and first of the cool afternoon on Saturday, April 16.
Once the Dutchwomen got rolling, however, there was no turning back. Union’s offense took to the ‘Jackets’ net in each of the next two minutes before reaching a temporary halt, as the yellow and blue’s junior Meg Battin put her team on the board with a little over 19:30 remaining in the first period.
At this point, the Dutchwomen took full control, going on a 5-0 rampage that wouldn’t end until sophomore Liza Maizel’s late-period effort in the final five minutes of the game put a cap on the streak. The ‘Jackets found themselves down by a considerable 8-2 margin, with a full 30 minutes of play left in the game.
The second half, however, was a different story. UR returned to the field and proceeded to shut down Kristin Joyce — Union’s lead scorer this season who laid siege to the ‘Jackets’ defense with three goals and an assist in the first half — and the rest of the Dutchwomen, allowing just four goals. The yellow and blue’s most lethal offensive threat in the 2011 campaign, sophomore Niki Holmes combated Joyce’s first-half firepower with three goals in the second half, leading her team to an even 4-4 showing with Union in the second half.
Despite the strong latter-half performance, the ‘Jackets (2-9, 1-4 in the Liberty League) ended up on the losing side of a 12-6 final tally. They travel to Clinton, NY, this Saturday, April 23, to take on the Liberty League-leading Hamilton Continentals.
Bernstein is a member of
the class of 2014.
