Completing the regular season undefeated in conference play and hosting the Patriot League tournament for the first time in school history will have to wait until next year.
In the April 21 regular season finale the Eagles (8-9, 5-1 PL) fell in double overtime to the No.14 Navy Midshipmen (16-1, 6-0 PL) by a score of 11-10 at Jacobs Field.
The game was a back and forth affair with no team holding a lead of more than two goals.
"It's a tough loss," AU Lacrosse Head Coach Emma Wallace said. "But we play on and we play another day."
Navy began the game with pressure in the AU zone leading to a Loren Generi goal for the first score of the afternoon. The Eagle's Emily Maher responded with a goal at 25:53 to tie the game. Both teams exchanged goals throughout the period.
The Eagles looked like they would enter the half up by two goals when Kim Collins scored one of her team high three goals to push the lead to 5-3. However, Generi got a shot off and scored with one second remaining in the first half to cut into the AU lead.
Just 37 seconds into the second half Navy tied the game off a Jill Coughlin score. AU's offensive game plan of long possessions in the Navy zone proved to be effective as the Eagles found themselves up 9-7 with less than 10 minutes remaining in regulation.
Up to this point, AU had shut down Navy's top player Jasmine DePompeo mainly by placing defenseman Emily Shields face-to-face with DePompeo. Even when play was on the other side of the field, Shields was in the face of DePompeo.
"She was going to face guard Jasmine," Wallace said of the strategy to put Shields on DePompeo. "Shields did an incredible job getting as close as humanly possible to another player."
Despite the strategy, the reigning Patriot League offensive player of the year would not be denied. DePompeo went on to score the final two Navy goals in regulation to force overtime. She would go on to win the game for Navy with a goal in the second overtime.
Before the game, AU honored seniors Emily Burton, Laura Dawson, Samantha Marshall and Collins as part of Senior Day.
AU will travel to Annapolis, Md. April 26 to take on Holy Cross (8-9, 3-3 PL) in the opening round of the Patriot League Tournament.
esaltzman@theeagleonline.com
