The Etownian >> Sports
Lady Jays defeat Colonels, Devils
Thursday April 29 2010
On Monday, the Elizabethtown College women’s lacrosse team defeated Middle Atlantic Conference opponent Wilkes University 14-2. The win boosts the Lady Jays to 11-0 in the MAC and awards them the top seed in the upcoming MAC playoff tournament.Sophomore Katelyn Slade scored less than a minute into the game off an assist by senior Stephanie Kreis. Slade contributed two more goals and two assists in the game. Also contributing goals were senior Megan Byrnes (two goals, two assists), junior Sarah Cullinan (one goal, two assists), junior Meg Cassels (three goals, one assist), first-year Melanie Hartman (one goal), sophomore Katie Scheurich (two goals, one assist), sophomore Samanatha Redles (one goal), and senior Caitlin Russell (one goal). Kreis added two assists.
Wilkes’ junior Amelia Farnham and senior Amanda Tilley each scored one goal during the game. First-year goalkeeper Rachael Waldman made four saves for the Jays.
On Saturday, April 24, Etown defeated the Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Devils in overtime 13-12.
Midway through the first half, Etown led 4-1 with the help of two goals each from Byrnes and Kreis. However, FDU fought back and outscored the Lady Jays in the remainder of the first half and went into halftime with a 6-5 lead. Then the Devils scored, extending their lead to 7-5.
Etown came back firing. Kreis scored twice in less than a minute to tie the game at 7-7 with 23 minutes left. The majority of the second half was a back-and-forth contest, but FDU led 10-9 with only 1:26 remaining. With 19 seconds left, Kreis’ shot deflected off the goalpost, but Hartman scooped the rebound and sent the game into overtime with the score knotted at 10 apiece. In the first three-minute segment of overtime, the Devils captured a 12-10 lead.
Kreis scored again with 2:34 left in the overtime period, cutting the deficit to one goal. FDU controlled the ensuing draw but turned the ball over, and a goal from Cassels tied the contest 12-12 with 1:05 remaining. The Devils won the next draw and attempted the go-ahead goal, but Waldman saved the shot. Hartman attempted the game-winning shot, but it went wide. On the next possession, Kreis was fouled and awarded a free-position attempt, which she made with 2.1 seconds left to give Etown a 13-12 victory.
The turning point in Etown’s victory over FDU wasn’t a single play; instead, it was earned as a result of the Lady Jays simply keeping their composure.
“We had some trouble getting the ball off of the draw during the game, but we set ourselves up differently to get in a better position to win it,” Russell said. “When the game went into overtime, the team kept its composure and stepped it up a notch. We fought for the draws, and when we didn’t get them, we fought even harder to get the ball back. I think that not panicking and staying collected helped us to win.” Russell led the Blue Jay defense with three ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers. Also on the defensive side, Waldman finished with a season-high 17 saves for the Lady Jays.
Kreis, who scored six goals in the game, did not want to give FDU more opportunities to score by extending the game into another overtime.
“Hitting the game winning shot was awesome, but I was just happy that we won,” she said. “Our whole team worked so hard to get the ball down the field to give us an opportunity to take the last shot. FDU always brings us their best game, and we’ve had a rivalry with them for a while, so we’re always excited to beat them, especially on their home field. ”
The Lady Jays will host Stevenson University today at 4 p.m. On Saturday, the Lady Jays will host Widener University in their last regular season matchup.
The Etownian >> Sports