NEWPORT, R.I. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's lacrosse team was edged with 2:01 left in overtime by host Salve Regina University, 13-12, this evening in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at Toppa Field in Newport, R.I.
The Lyons slip to 7-6 overall and 4-2 in league play, while the Seahawks improve to 8-5 and 2-4.
Wheaton scored three straight goals early in the fourth quarter to take a 14-12 lead. Senior midfielder Avonlea LeBeau (North Branford, Conn.) scored with 13:32 left in the quarter to tie the game at 10-10, before senior attacker Abigail Mountain (Niantic, Conn.) found senior midfielder Logan Truluck (Bath, Maine) for a marker at the 7:48 mark with a player advantage to give the Lyons an 11-10 lead. LeBeau scored just 69 seconds later to give Wheaton's its biggest lead of the night at 12-10.
Salve Regina knotted the contest with a pair of goals in a span of 33 seconds to pull even at 12-12 for the ninth tie of the game. Junior midfielder Samantha Moleti (Township of Washington, N.J.) found the back of the net with 2:28 to go in the game, before junior midfielder Cameron Baston (Plantsville, Conn.) netted a goal with 2:05 showing on the fourth quarter clock to effectively send the game into overtime.
Junior Holly Sullivan (Pembroke, Mass.) won the draw control to open the overtime period for the Seahawks and junior attacker Edie Threshie (Stratford, Conn.) carried the ball across the front of the goal mouth, before slipping a shot past the Lyon netminder for the game-winner with just 2:01 remaining in the overtime.
Wheaton outshot Salve Regina, 35-31, and controlled the draw for the majority of the night, winning 19 of 29 draw controls. The Lyons owned a 21-13 ground ball advantage and forced their host into 15 turnovers, while committing just nine themselves, but the Seahawks were able to score one more goal than their guests. Neither team led by more than two goals for the match.
LeBeau finished with four goals to lead Wheaton and added a ground ball, while Truluck and junior midfielder Gabs Smart (Oakland, Maine) each netted a pair of goals. Truluck added three ground balls and a caused turnover. Junior attacker Lara Finnie (Westfield, Mass.) tallied three points with a goal and an assist in addition to two ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers. First year goalie Jenna Langan (Lincoln, R.I.) made 13 saves in her first collegiate start.
Moleti led all players with a career-high five goals for Salve Regina and added an assist. Baston netted a pair of goals and junior attacker Kayli Garcia (Southington, Conn.) picked up three points with two goals and an assist to go with a ground ball. Sophomore midfielder Trinity Custodia (Swansea, Mass.) led the defense with a pair of ground balls and two caused turnovers. Senior goalie Ellee Kopecky (Warren, R.I.) earned the victory with 12 saves for the Seahawks.
The teams traded the first six goals scored in the initial 14 minutes of the game. Truluck gave the Lyons a 3-2 edge with 1:11 to play in the opening quarter, but Moleti scored twice in a span of 33 seconds to give Salve Regina its first lead of the night with 26 seconds left on the first quarter clock.
The Seahawks carried the momentum into the second quarter, increasing their lead to two goals when Baston took a feed from first year midfielder Alix Madden (Plymouth, Mass.) and scored with 13:10 remaining in the second period to make it 5-3 for the home team.
Wheaton countered with a pair of goals in a span of 64 seconds from sophomore midfielder Sara Spielman (Norwalk, Conn.) and LeBeau to pull even at 5-5 with 10:50 to go in the first half. The teams traded the next four goals before the end of the period to go into halftime, knotted at 7-7. Sophomore defender Allie Molfetto (Newton, N.J.) found first year attacker Daniella Bruno (Niantic, Conn.) for a marker at the 2:28 mark for Salve Regina, before LeBeau netted the equalizer with just 21 ticks left in the half to tie the game at seven apiece.
Madden and Moleti tallied the first two goals of the second half in a span of two minutes to regain a two-goal advantage, but true to the night's form, Smart had an answer for the Lyons with a pair of goals in 29 seconds time to re-tie the score at 9-9 with 2:07 to play in the third quarter.
Madden fed Garcia for the home team's 10th goal, before Wheaton took a two-goal advantage with three unanswered markers.
The Lyons return to action on Saturday, April 13 when they travel to Northampton, Mass. to take on NEWMAC rival Smith College at 12:00 p.m., while the Seahawks host No. 15 Massachusetts Institute of Technology on the same day at 11:00 a.m.
