The women’s lacrosse team continued its non-conference season last week. The Leopards battled through snowy conditions on Saturday afternoon and fell to Mount St. Mary’s 14-6 in Emmitsburg, Maryland, but followed up the loss with a return to the win column on Wednesday in a 12-10 victory against Robert Morris University.
In Saturday’s contest, despite a competitive first half, the Leopards (2-1 overall) struggled to keep pace in the second, as the Mountaineers pulled away late. Freshman midfielder Andie Pedatella led the way for the Leopards with two goals.
“I thought the game went well; it started snowing during the warmups, so it was really hard to get a grip on the field,” junior defender Amelia Duncan said.
The Leopards kept things even early, with goals from senior attacker Emma Elmen, freshman midfielder Sadie Martiesian and Pedatella knotting the score at 3-3 by the end of the first quarter. Pedatella’s tally at the 1:27 mark marked the first goal of her collegiate career.
Mount St. Mary’s regained control in the second quarter, outscoring the Maroon and White 3-1 to take a 6-4 lead into halftime. Senior midfielder Sophia Spallone joined the scoring column for the Leopards before the break.
“We take every game day by day, so we don’t try to think ahead,” said Duncan. “Our idea is we go 1-0 every day.”
The Leopards stayed within striking distance in the third, with Pedatella netting her second of the game and freshman midfielder Annie Madden adding a goal at 4:52. However, the Mountaineers continued their offensive surge, tacking on five goals in the frame to stretch the lead to 11-6 heading into the final quarter.
Mount St. Mary’s closed the game with three more goals, while the Leopards could not find the back of the net in the fourth.
Statistically, the matchup remained close, with the Mountaineers holding 19-17 and 24-22 advantages in ground balls and shots, respectively. Both teams secured 12-draw controls. Senior goalkeeper Molly Terraciano recorded six saves for the Leopards.
Wednesday night provided another opportunity which the Leopards capitalized on, defeating the Robert Morris Colonials (1-2 overall) 12-10.
“On all ends of the field, everyone worked so incredibly hard,” senior attacker Haleigh Albrecht said. “Defense had some really great caused turnovers which gave us on offense some really awesome opportunities to put the ball in the back of the cage.”
The Maroon and White were led by a pair of hat tricks from Martiesan and Spallone. Albrecht noted that Spallone’s off-ball movement facilitated much of the team’s offensive success.
“Those backdoors and cuts she had were amazing,” Albrecht said.
Despite the victory, the Leopards were outshot 29-25 overall and by a narrow 20-19 margin in shots on goal. Terraciano recorded nine saves for the Maroon and White.
“I think we just stuck to the game plan and we all stuck together and came out with a great win,” junior defender Jordan Siemonsen said.
Moving forward, the Leopards return to action against Wagner College (0-1 overall) this Wednesday.
“Everything should look great,” Albrecht said. “Offense will stick to our plays, defense will stick to their plan and excited to see what the future holds.”
