Snowy conditions and unexpected technical difficulties may have discouraged other teams, but the Richmond Spiders and AU Eagles brought nothing but fierce competition and passion for lacrosse to the AU women’s lacrosse program’s opening game on Feb. 17.
Despite three goals from freshman Emma Vinall, Richmond defeated the Eagles 13-6. AU head coach Emma Wallace said her team “was expecting the unexpected.”
“They had new people on the team on the field at the same time as everyone else,” Wallace said about the Eagles’ season opener. “This was a new system that the team was trying out, and they are excited to learn all they can from this game and get focused for their next game.”
The Eagles were at a 6-0 deficit during the first half when the snow started falling and the scoreboard malfunctioned. Referees called an immediate timeout. However, as soon as the shot clock was fixed, AU midfielders Vinall and Lexi Perez and attackers Peyton Smith and Brooke Stapleton led the Eagles with six second-half goals, though it was not enough to overcome the Spiders.
“They began to take time with the offense and stayed competitive,” Wallace said. “They began to relax after the first goal made by Stapleton.”
Richmond’s Kim Egizi, Marissa Brown and Julia Schmuckler commanded the field the entire game. Egizi scored 7 of her team’s 13 goals while Brown scored 3.
AU’s junior goalkeeper Fiona Geier made 14 saves for the Eagles. Geier recorded a .434 save percentage and a 13.86 goals against average in her sophomore season as a starter for AU.
This year’s women’s lacrosse team includes seven freshmen and eight sophomores led by team captains Casey Aguilar-Gervase, Lexi Perez and Sydney Fry. The Eagles will face off against Central Michigan Friday at 3 p.m. at Jacobs Field.
