Led by an impressive six-point performance from freshman attacker Charlotte Edwards, the women’s lacrosse team (2-11 overall, 1-4 Patriot League) earned its first conference win this past Saturday over the Boston Terriers (6-5 overall, 1-4 Patriot League) with a final score of 12-10.
“Lafayette beat BU last year, so we kind of knew they would come in with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder,” Edwards said of the Terriers. “We knew it was going to be a tough game, but we also thought that all of the previous games we had played were going to set us up for this one, and it was up to us to let everything connect.”
Sophomore attacker Sara Rogers started off the game with a goal at 11:25 off an assist from Edwards. Boston responded a minute later to tie the game back up.
Junior midfielder Abby Romano found the back of the net at 9:35 off an assist from classmate midfielder Clare Culligan to put Lafayette back in the lead.
After a few unsuccessful shots from each team, Lafayette scored once again at 4:36 with senior attacker Genevieve Strobel landing a successful shot off an assist from Romano.
Boston was the first to get on the board in the second quarter, diminishing Lafayette’s lead to just one. Senior attacker Sarah Bennett, assisted by Edwards, answered at 9:56 to put the Leopards ahead 4-2.
“[That goal] gave us a good buffer … Everyone was touching the ball and making impact,” Edwards said, noting how a main goal of the season has been to pass the ball around frequently to ensure that the team is taking the best shots it can.
“I think we had a lot of unselfish plays the entire game,” she added.
Romano scored once again at 7:31, with Edwards managing yet another assist. However, Boston picked up the energy, scoring three times in a row to tie the game at 5-5 with five minutes left in the half.
Senior midfielder Katie Chiasson scored an unassisted goal at 3:49 to solidify Lafayette’s lead heading into the half.
Lafayette started off the third quarter with a bang, with Bennett scoring at 10:48 off a pass from Edwards. A minute later, Culligan secured an unassisted goal, bringing the score to 8-5 in favor of the Leopards. Boston scored at 5:54 but Edwards countered two minutes later with a powerful shot assisted by Bennett that extended the Leopards’ lead to 9-6.
Starting off the final quarter, the crowd roared as Strobel scored at 10:34, this time assisted by Rogers.
The teams traded possession until Boston scored with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter to reduce the Leopards’ lead to three. Edwards responded with an unassisted goal two minutes later, tallying her sixth point of the day.
The Terriers made a last-ditch effort as their leading scorer, senior midfielder Jennifer Barry, managed two goals in the final two minutes of the game.
Chiasson scored one more for the Leopards late in the fourth to secure the 12-10 victory.
“It was a really awesome outcome. They’re a great team, but we really worked hard and it clicked for all of us,” Edwards said. “We now know our potential [and know] what it feels like when we have each other’s backs on both sides of the ball.”
Junior goalkeeper Lexie Coldiron made 13 saves on 23 shots, marking a career-high .565 save percentage. She credited her continuous work with the defense as key to the team’s success.
“We have a really good cohesive relationship … I consider myself part of the defensive unit. We really put a high emphasis this game on safely getting the ball from defense to offense,” Coldiron said.
“All of the credit in the world to the defense, because if they don’t stop that ball, we can’t do our job and score,” Edwards added.
The Leopards held the advantage in ground balls (26-19) and shots (35-28), while Boston led in draw controls (14-12).
Lafayette hopes to gain another league win as the team will travel to Holy Cross tomorrow for a 1 p.m. contest. Both Edwards and Coldiron said that the Crusaders utilize a different defensive approach than they are used to, so that will be a main focus during practice leading up to the weekend’s competition.
“I think it’s gonna be a great game,” Edwards said.
