The women’s lacrosse team (1-3 Patriot League, 5-6 overall) suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Army on Saturday (3-1 Patriot League, 8-2 overall), falling by a score of 21-2 at Fisher Stadium.
The Leopards entered Saturday’s game off the back of their first win of the Patriot League season last Wednesday against American (1-4 Patriot League, 5-7 overall).
However, it was the Black Knights who carried all the momentum on Saturday, grabbing the first goal of the game from a free-position shot just 19 seconds into the first quarter. The game was 1-way traffic from that point forward, with Army registering six unanswered goals to open the quarter.
Junior attacker Kristin Igneri put the Maroon and White on the board, carrying the ball from behind the Black Knight goal and into a shooting position, burying a low shot past the Army goaltender. Army would add a breakaway goal with eight seconds left in the quarter to end the frame up 7-1.
Despite creating scoring chances, the Leopards could not find a way past the Black Knights’ goaltender and went scoreless in the second quarter, going into halftime down 12-1.
“We had some good opportunities, but I think what we learned from the game is that when we have these opportunities, we need to put them away,” senior midfielder Sophia Spallone said. “It gives us more drive to place our shots, but today they just didn’t end up falling.”
Army would again hold the Leopards scoreless in the third quarter, scoring five more goals to take a 17-1 lead into the final period of the game. The Black Knights would add four more goals in the final frame before Spallone would grab the final goal of the game with 1:26 left on the clock. Spallone was found by Igneri after running free of her defender and shot it past the Army goaltender to end the game 21-2.
Despite finishing the game with just two goals, the Leopards tallied 21 shots on the contest.
“We had amazing opportunities,” Igneri said. “Just finishing and taking that extra second to shoot will definitely help us.”
In goal, senior goalkeeper Molly Terraciano and junior goalkeeper Kennedy Carr split time, with Carr leading the team with seven saves through three-quarters of action in her first home appearance as a Leopard.
The Leopards will face another tough opponent as they travel to Baltimore, Maryland, next Saturday to take on last year’s Patriot League Champions, Loyola Maryland University (5-0 Patriot League, 8-5 overall).
“I think we just watch the film together, figure out where we’re going wrong and what is going to work in the next game,” Spallone said. “Just focus on that and adjust with everything.”
