The American University lacrosse team (5-3) defeated the Lafayette College Leopards (1-9) in their March 18 game 16-15.
Freshman midfielder Kellie Linehan kicked off the scoring for the afternoon, netting a goal less than a minute into the game. Lafayette quickly bounced back, scoring two goals in response. Phenomenal freshman attacker Annabelle Jackson resumed the back and forth play with a goal of her own just after.
Lafayette had the man advantage thanks to a yellow card given to American and regained their lead with a man-up goal. Senior attacker Emma Hare evened it back up with her first goal of the game. The Leopards and Eagles then traded pairs of goals twice, keeping the score tied. Lafayette heated up, scoring six goals unanswered to finally draw ahead of American. Sophomore midfielder Becca Frank got one back for the Eagles in the final seconds of the first half to make the score 13-8, Lafayette.
American entered the second half down by five goals but remained undeterred. Jackson began the comeback with her second goal of the game a few minutes into the third quarter. The Leopards got one back, however the Eagles would not falter. Hare scored her second of the game while up a player, thanks to a Lafayette yellow card. Frank followed up with her second of the game to bring American within three goals.
Not giving up, the Leopards scored again a minute later, growing their now shrunken lead. In the final two minutes of the third quarter, freshman midfielder Reagan Murdoch, sophomore attacker Alyssa Apuzzo and junior midfielder Hannah Spease scored a trio of goals to make the score 15-14.
The fourth quarter was comparatively quiet, scoring-wise. Junior goalkeeper Mary Alice Collins had four saves on four Lafayette shots in just the first half of the quarter. With eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, sophomore attacker Maddy Spratt assisted Frank for her third goal of the game which was scored on an over-the-shoulder, no-look shot. Frank’s hat-trick-completing goal tied the game at 15-15.
The next six minutes of the game continued with no scoring and few shots as the two goalies combined for three saves. With a little more than a minute remaining, Lafayette fouled Linehan and she hammered home the game-winning goal on a free position shot. The Leopards fired two more free position shots on Collins, but she stopped them both, securing the Patriot League win for the Eagles.
American’s 16 goals came from eight different players, with Frank and Spease both scoring hat-tricks and Spease scoring a hat-trick for the third consecutive game. Hare, Jackson, Linehan and Apuzzo added two goals each. Murdoch and Spratt contributed one goal apiece to round it out.
“We talked at halftime, it really does need to be a total team effort,” said head coach Lindsay Teeters. “I know that we scored 16 goals, but I think that we had a lot of shot opportunities that we didn’t finish.”
The Eagles next take on the Holy Cross Crusaders on Sunday, March 25 at 3 p.m. in Worcester, Massachusetts.
This article was edited by Delaney Hoke and Nina Heller. Copy editing done by Isabelle Kravis and Natasha LaChac.
