Elizabethtown College’s women’s lacrosse team fell short last week in the team’s first two home games of the season at Wolf Field. The team lost to McDaniel College on Wednesday, March 12 and Susquehanna College on Saturday, March 15. The Blue Jays made their only free position attempt count, as first-year Megan DeMichele scored her first career collegiate goal in a 16-1 loss to McDaniel. During Saturday’s game against the Crusaders, the team showed signs of improvement by putting up season highs in several offensive and defensive categories in a 19-3 loss.
The game marked the first time the two teams competed as Landmark Conference opponents.
Wednesday’s game came after a long break for the Blue Jays, due to a weather-related postponement of the team’s March 5 game against Rutgers-Camden. “We are definitely ready to get out and play in a game after a long break,” Etown’s Assistant Coach Lauren Voigt said before facing McDaniel. “There is no substitute for experience, which is something that we are lacking, and playing Rutgers-Camden would have helped, but we have all worked hard to get ready for the game, and we are ready to go out and do the best we can.” However, McDaniel (3-0) jumped out early with five goals in the first 10 minutes of the match, limiting the Blue Jays to a single shot in the opening half.
After Danielle Entrot increased McDaniel’s lead to 11-0 in the second half, first-year Addie Stang took the ensuing draw control, setting up the Blue Jay’s only goal of the game when DeMichelle went top shelf to the left of McDaniel goalie Lily Galzerno.
McDaniel scored the remaining five goals of the game for the final margin of victory.
Etown tied its season-best with 15 ground balls, with Stang and first-year Krissy Pennell leading the way with three each and juniors Emily Young and Dani Talenti both with a pair. Young and Stang led the Blue Jays defensively with two forced turnovers, while Stang and first-year Becky Graessle had two draw controls apiece. Beata Paloszz stopped six McDaniel shots, one shy of the first-year’s season high.
“Losing is never easy,” Voigt said post-game, “but getting down on ourselves and getting frustrated won’t help us. We are going to continue to work hard and go out each game to try and win.”
Despite the tough loss, junior Mandi Zeiders remains proud of her teammates. “This team has a lot of heart and enjoys playing as a group,” she said. “Our defense was driven and never let up against McDaniel, and our offense possessed the ball with more confidence.”
Susquehanna, the 2013 Landmark Conference champs, showed up for Saturday’s game ready to compete. The Crusaders (2-3) attacked under a minute into the contest with a goal from Brynn Reid, her first of three in the game.
Susquehanna’s Michelle McGinniss made it 5-0 at 26:14 before Stang put the Blue Jays on the board just 23 seconds later. Stang then won the draw control and took the ball in the offensive end. Moments after a foul, Stang drove her way in front of the goal to beat the Crusader’s Alyssa Rothman for her second goal of the season.
Sophomore Dana Robidoux recorded her first career goal, one of two in the contest, on a free position shot at 17:13, giving Etown its first multi-goal match of the season.
The Crusaders led 14-2 at the half, outshooting the Blue Jays by a 21-6 margin. Etown finished the game with 11 shots, the most attempted in a game this season.
The inexperienced Blue Jays’ defense played hard, however, setting new season bests in forced turnovers (eight) and clears (10). DeMichele and Robidoux both finished the game with two CTs. It was a big game for Robidoux, who scored her second goal of the match in the second half on another free position shot. She was two-for-three in the game. The midfielder also had three ground balls and four draw controls.
Of the season-high 26 ground balls for Etown, seven Blue Jays registered at least three. Stang and junior Dani Talenti finished with four apiece, while first-years Becky Graessle and Tori Lauder and Young, Robidoux and Palosz each had three apiece.
Palosz started the game and played the first half, making six saves before Lauder came in to play the second half. Lauder made one save in her first appearance in goal for Etown.
“We had a great game,” junior Meghan Donohue said afterwards.
“It was a huge improvement from our last game. We didn’t have much depth on the bench for this game, but we competed well, possessed the ball well and were able to take good shots and had great defense. We all achieved some kind of personal or team goal throughout the game.”
Head Coach Danielle Seling agreed. “I think the team performed very well,” she said. “Our main focus is improving every game, and I definitely think we accomplished that.”
Etown will return to Wolf Field on March 18 when the Blue Jays face the Montclair State Red Hawks at 4 p.m.
