DENVER - In
the first game of a three game western U.S. road trip, the Marist women's
lacrosse team earned a 13-12 win over Saint Mary's (Cal.) in a neutral field matchup
at Denver University. The Red Foxes overcame an early 4-0 deficit with a 6-1
run in the second half to secure the win. Senior Ariel Kramer (Syracuse, N.Y.)
led the team with four points on three goals and an assist.
The Gaels (1-5) jumped out to an early 4-0 lead over the
Red Foxes (1-5) in the first 8:05 of play. Following a caused turnover by
freshman Sheri Fauvell (Moorestown, N.J.), senior Kelsey Heckler (Bel Aid, Md.)
led the outlet and clearance that resulted in the team's first goal of the game
at 19:50, courtesy of freshman Emily Leonard (Brookfield, Conn.). Seniors
Shannon Haas (Farmingdale, N.Y.) and Kramer then connected for the Red Foxes'
second straight goal a little over two minutes later at 16:24. This was Haas'
sixth goal of 2012.
After a Gael tally at 10:04 pushed the lead back to three
goals at 5-2, the Red Foxes netted back-to-back scores in a matter of 20 seconds
to cut the deficit to one. Sophomore Jamie Romano (Kings Park, N.Y.) scored the
first goal at 8:20 and then put the ensuing scoring possession in motion with a
successful draw control and outlet to sophomore Tierney Larson (Fairfield,
Conn.), who fed freshman Kirsten Viscount (Smithtown, N.Y.) for the first goal
of her young career.
The fast-paced scoring continued down the stretch in the
first half as the teams combined for six more goals in the final 6:40 of play.
Saint Mary's went into the locker room up 9-6 on the strength of four goals in
that stretch. Red Fox tallies were scored by Leonard at 5:13 and Larson at
0:17.
Coming out after the break, strong defensive efforts
resulted in Marist notching two goals in the first six minutes of play. The
first goal came after a blocked shot Saint Mary's shot and a ground ball pickup
and sprint out of the defensive zone by Fauvell, who cleared the ball and then
fired in her first goal of her career on her first-ever shot at 28:26. Goal number
two came after a caused turnover by freshman Christine Astarita (Kennett
Square, Pa.); Kramer was the goal scorer for Marist 26 seconds after the change
of possession at 24:08.
Saint Mary's Rachel Minarovich scored her team-leading
third goal of the game at 23:49 to interrupt the small goal run by Marist.
Strong defense, including five saves by junior goalkeeper
Ashley Casiano (South Windsor, Conn.) kept Saint Mary's off the scoreboard for
the next 18:06 and allowed the Red Foxes to score four unanswered goals and take
their first lead of the game. Goal scorers for Marist over this span of play
included Romano, Viscount, Haas and Kramer, who capped the scoring at 7:35.
Up 12-10, the team's traded goals in the final six
minutes, as Saint Mary's brought the score to 12-11 at 5:43 before Kramer
netted her third goal of the game at 3:43. This tally would stand up as the
game-winner as the Gaels scored their 12th and final goal of game
with one second remaining.
After 60 minutes, Marist was victorious by a score of
13-12.
As a team, the Red Foxes caused more turnovers at 12-11
and were more successful in their clears at 16-18 to 14-21 for Saint Mary's.
The Gaels outshot Marist at 32-28, collected more ground balls at 17-15 and controlled
more draws at 13-12.
Individually, Kramer led all scorers with four points on
three goals and an assist. Senior Kelly Condon (Roslyn, Pa.) led the Red Foxes
with a pair of assists. In goal, Casiano turned aside 13 Gael scoring attempts.
On defense, Astarita caused a game-high four turnovers and collected three
ground balls.
The Red Foxes will again be in action at Denver
University on Tuesday, March 13 when they take on the host Pioneers in a 9 p.m.
EST matchup.
