As a Feb. 19 game proved, the weight of ten other players is too much for the shoulders of fifth-year seniors Emma Vinall and Kendall Goldblum to bear.
One week following a tough loss to Georgetown University, the American University Lacrosse team fell 17-9 to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Vinall scored a minute and 17 seconds into the game, but it was all downhill from there for AU. Once the Retrievers tied the game at 1-1, the Eagles never held another lead.
“We are continuing to make mistakes, and I think they’re not caused by the other team, I think they’re mistakes on our own play,” head coach Lindsay Teeters said. “We’ve got to find a way to keep our composure, to work through and make some minor adjustments within our own individual play, and I think the rest of the pieces will fall into place.”
The severity of this 17-9 trouncing worsens on the stat sheet. The only statistical categories in which AU bested UMBC were draw controls – which Vinall dominated – and turnovers, where the Eagles recorded 17 to the Retrievers’ 20.
Other than holding close with 14 ground balls to UMBC’s 17, AU was crushed by UMBC in every other major statistical category. The Eagles scored eight fewer goals than the Retrievers on six more shots, including shooting just 1-for-5 on free-position shots to the Retrievers’ 4-for-7.
The Retrievers also faced almost no opposition once the ball left their sticks and headed for the goal. The Eagles’ goalkeepers blocked just five total shots the entire game, resulting in a 29 percent save percentage.
On the opposite end, the UMBC goalkeeper was a brick wall, blocking 15 shots and often completely shutting down the AU offense, even after the rest of the defense had been burned by Vinall’s crafty cutting.
Other than Vinall and Goldblum, only senior Stephanie Walsh scored for the Eagles, prompting coach Teeters to acknowledge the team’s one-dimensional offense.
“Emma Vinall and Kendall Goldblum certainly feel the weight of this team on their shoulders,” Teeters admitted after the game.
However, AU has substantially improved in the games following the UMBC routing, as they squeaked out a tight 15-14 victory over George Mason, followed by a 16-3 dismantling of Howard.
The Eagles will make the quick trip to face George Washington on Wednesday, Mar. 2 and then will return to Jacobs to square off against Gardner-Webb March 5 at 3 p.m.
