The women’s lacrosse team (4-8 overall, 1-4 Patriot League) took on Loyola University Maryland (12-1 overall, 6-0 Patriot League) at home on Saturday, losing by a score of 17-3.
Heading into the game, the Greyhounds were undefeated in the Patriot League with only a single loss overall. They also ranked eighth in the nation.
“I think our team played well against a top-ten team in the country,” sophomore attacker Kristin Igneri said. “We came out really strong and competed the whole time and didn’t let their ranking intimidate us.”
Freshman attacker Stella Bordone said the team was excited to challenge Loyola in Fisher Stadium. The team went about its preparations in the same way that it would when facing any other opponent, watching film and implementing strategies in practice.
“There are always little things we can improve upon, but we played as a unit,” Bordone said.
Loyola took the lead to begin the game, as the Greyhounds pulled ahead early with three unanswered points.
Igneri was the first to put points on the board for the Maroon and White when she took a free-position shot in the second quarter to make the score 4-1. The momentum didn’t shift for long, however, as the Greyhounds continued the scoring throughout the third quarter and brought their lead to 15-1. Igneri went on to score her second goal of the game at the beginning of the final quarter.
The efforts of senior goalkeeper Lexie Coldiron and junior goalkeeper Molly Terraciano were highlighted by their teammates.
“They did a great job with saving Loyola’s shots and clearing the ball for the team,” Igneri said.
Junior midfielder Sophia Spallone’s hustle was similarly praised.
“She was everywhere on the field and gave one hundred percent effort at all times, which was really admirable to watch,” Bordone said of Spallone.
The Leopards are now preparing for another Patriot League game against Colgate University (1-11 overall, 1-4 Patriot League) on Saturday, April 13th. Specifically, the team’s defense has been working to combat the Raiders’ defensive pressure.
“Learning how to beat this type of defensive pressure throughout the whole week will help us capitalize when we have possession,” Bordone said.
