The AU women’s lacrosse team extended their winning streak to three with a 19-12 victory over Lafayette University on Saturday at Jacobs Field.
Unselfish play by AU allowed senior Amanda Makoid, sophomore Lauren Schoenberger and freshman Samantha Marshall to each score three goals. Three more players were also part of the Eagles’ balanced offensive attack, scoring two goals each. Sophomore Emily Stankiewicz collected four points with two goals and two assists.
AU quickly commanded the momentum of the game on the breezy afternoon with back-to-back goals by Schoenberger. Each time Schoenberger swiftly scored from in front of the cage off passes from teammates. Eagles Marshall, Makoid and sophomore Paige Lin rained in three more goals shortly after, giving AU a 5-0 lead halfway through the first.
Lafayette retaliated with consecutive goals in under a minute after a timeout. AU midfielders Stankiewicz and Makoid responded with one goal each less than a minute later, to bring the score to 7-2. Throughout the period, the Leopards were unable to match the speed of AU sophomores Emma Larkin and Bernadette Maher, who repeatedly ran the ball the length of the field to set up looks at the net.
The two teams traded goals for the remaining 14 minutes of the first half. With less than two minutes to play in the first, AU collected two unanswered goals. The score at the end of the period, 13-4, reflected the fast momentum and confidence that characterized the team’s play from the first whistle.
“We wanted to carry out momentum from last Saturday’s win against Lehigh with us into the game,” Head Coach Katie Woods said. “We jumped out to a quick start which I think in the end proved to be very helpful.”
AU returned to the field secure in their lead, drawing Lafayette fouls that generated consecutive goals from AU freshman Kimberly Collins and senior Lisa Schaaf. Afraid that the first period would repeat itself, the Leopards came out hard. This new momentum led to three unanswered Lafayette goals and brought the score to 13-7 before AU called a timeout at the 16-minute mark.
With their lead cut to six, the Eagles increased their defensive pressure. A revived Leopards attack drew fouls that resulted in three goals to make it 13-10, the smallest Lafayette deficit for the rest of the game. This time, AU answered with three goals of their own by freshman Emily Burton, Schoenberger and Maher.
With the score at 16-10, Lafayette pulled out the last of their energy to score consecutive goals on AU goalie senior Frankie Solomon. The comeback was not enough and the Eagles answered with three goals, the last of which went in at the buzzer.
AU out shot the Leopards 43-23, recording 27 of their shots on goal in the first period. The Eagles’ intensity on the ball and their defensive pressure proved too much for Lafayette, who had 21 turnovers during the match.
The AU parents on the sideline, cowbells in hand, were as excited about the win as the players themselves.
“[The fans are] always enthusiastic and always cheering, which is really helpful,” Woods said. “They pretty much come with us everywhere.”
The Eagles kick off a two game road trip with a match againstundefeated conference leaderNavy on Wednesday.
You can reach this writer at sports@theeagleonline.com.
