The women’s lacrosse team finished its out-of-conference season on Wednesday afternoon, suffering a tough 16-5 loss on the road against Villanova University.
Villanova (5-3 overall) wasted no time asserting control, jumping out to a commanding 6-0 lead in the first quarter off a relentless offensive attack while thwarting the Maroon and White (4-3 overall) at every level.
The second quarter was déjà vu, as the Leopards again surrendered a 6-0 quarter to make it a 12-0 first-half shutout.
“I think in today’s game at halftime, we all talked about what we needed to improve on both sides of the ball and we came out stronger despite being down,” junior defender Amelia Duncan said. “I think that says a lot about our team culture and how far we’ve grown, being able to recognize where we’re lacking and implement.”
Finally breaking through for the Leopards in the third quarter, senior midfielder Sophia Spallone found the back of the net at the 3:32 mark, putting the Maroon and White on the board. Junior attacker Kristin Igneri followed up less than two minutes later with a power-play goal off an assist from Spallone, cutting the deficit to 15-2 heading into the final period.
“She’s always our team’s spark and she got us on the board first and, naturally, the team follows her lead,” Duncan said about Spallone. “We always rely on her in the locker room to get us hype for games and we can also always count on her to bring her spark to the field.”
Spallone struck again in the final frame, this time on another power play assisted by senior attacker Sara Rogers. Junior attacker Olivia Hover and Spallone each added late goals to bring the final tally to 16-5.
“I think despite the result, one positive thing was our effort today,” senior defender Anna Gonella said.
Defensively, goalkeeper Molly Terraciano faced heavy pressure from the Wildcats’ attack, while Villanova’s defensive unit controlled possession and limited scoring chances for the Leopards.
In spite of the loss, Duncan said that she felt positive about the Leopards’ non-conference schedule.
“We’ve had a great start to our season out of conference, and we are happy with how it went because we are now more prepared to start strong in Patriot League play,” Duncan said.
The Leopards will look to bounce back when they start off their Patriot League campaign this Saturday at 1 p.m. against Holy Cross (5-3 overall) in Worcester, Massachusetts.
“We are really excited for the Holy Cross game; they’ve always been a team that’s ready to play,” Gonella said. “We are excited to travel and come out strong against them this Saturday.”