The Elizabethtown College women’s lacrosse team fell 1-14 to Drew University on Saturday at Wolf Field.
First-year Addie Stang had the only goal for the Jays that she worked off an assist by sophomore Dana Robidoux. The goal came only 40 seconds in, when sophomore Mary Nell Donahue gained the first possession off of the draw at the start of the game and passed to Robidoux, who gave the ball to Stang to gain an early lead. This initial goal gave the Jays their third lead in the last four games.
After scoring 14 goals in the loss against Rutgers-Camden last week, the Jays were ready to take their offensive momentum into their game over the weekend. Head Coach Danielle Seling was optimistic about the team’s offense for Saturday’s game earlier in the week. “Our attack has been getting stronger and stronger every game, so I’m excited to see if we can keep that going,” she said.
Despite the team’s optimism and its best efforts, Drew University prevented the team from having no more than four shots during the entire game. Donahue and sophomore Briana Rogers each contributed one shot for the Jays and Stang had two shots to make up the Jays’ offensive efforts for the game. Three of the four shots were free position attempts in which the players could not find the back of the net. Drew answered the Jays’ first goal with nine goals in the next 15 minutes of the game. Drew’s Nikki Kleiman scored four goals for her team in the first half and Morgan Mason contributed three for Drew as well. Drew’s Krysta Cento, who is the leading Landmark Conference scorer, put two goals and assist up for Drew.
At halftime, the Jays trailed 1-10. Drew put up four more goals in the second half for a final score of 1-14. Although the Jays had a difficult time finding the back of the net, the team won seven of 17 draws. Donahue and Stang each won two, while Robidoux and first-years Becky Graessle and Jessica Binnig each had one for the Jays as well.
On the defensive side, first-year Kristina Pennell had three ground balls and one caused turnover. First-year goalie Beata Palosz had four saves in the net and contributed five ground balls. First-year goalie Tori Lauder entered the game for the last 15:50 of the game and saved the two shots that were put on goal.
Robidoux emphasized the team’s need to maximize its potential for the entire game instead of just a portion of the game. She also recognized the importance of having a strong defensive presence. “Everyone on defense will be vital, because when our defense plays well together, that is our biggest strength,” she said.
“We always say that if everyone does their part and their individual tasks on the field, the game will all come together,” Robidoux said. The outcome on Saturday did not work out in the Jays’ favor, but there is still a lot of the season left.
The loss against Drew makes the team’s overall record 0-10 and the conference record 0-4. Etown will travel to meet Landmark Conference opponent Merchant Marine in Kings Point, N.Y. on Saturday at 1 p.m.
