SALISBURY, Md. - The final minutes of Tuesday's
women's lacrosse showdown here against No. 3 Salisbury and No. 4
Middlebury seemed like an eternity for the Sea Gulls. The swarming
defense of the Panthers pressured the Gulls until the final
whistle, when SU celebrated an 11-10 win before a crowd of 300.
"I give credit to Middlebury. They were all over us," said SU
coach Jim Nestor. "Whenever you can beat a quality
team like Middlebury you have to be happy."
The one-goal win is the smallest margin of victory between the
two schools dating back to 1999. Salisbury (10-0) has won the last
three meetings between Middlebury (1-1). This was the fourth
straight year the two teams met during the regular season and the
first-time the site of the game was not neutral.
Salisbury received a pair of goals from seniors Katie
Simmons, Stephanie Shores and Ani
Khatchatoorian along with two from sophomore Holly
Johnson, including the eventual game-winner with 9:20 left
in the game. Junior Sue Ackermann passed out a
game-high five assists to up her season total to 33.
Middlebury seniors Liza Humes (three goals, one assist) and
Claire Edelen scored a game-high three goals apiece to lead the
Panthers. Katherine Entwisle and Kim Walker scored two goals each
and junior Amanda Smith added two assists in the loss.
Each team scored their goals in bunches as the game saw four
ties and three lead changes. SU scored the game's first two goals
followed by three from Middlebury. The longest goal run was five by
the Gulls in the first half. The Panthers scored the final two
goals before the half to cut the SU lead to one, 8-7, at the break.
In the second half, SU scored quickly on Shores' second goal of
the game. The Panthers answered with back-to-back goals from
Entwisle and Humes. Salisbury broke the 9-9 tie with a goal from
Khatchatoorian off a feed from senior Natalie
Degele. Johnson scored 12 minutes later off Ackermann's
fifth assist only to watch Edelen score eight seconds later to
reduce the SU advantage to 11-10.
The final stats reflect how close the game was as Middlebury
outshot Salisbury 27-26 and won 13-of-23 draw controls. SU scooped
up 22 groundballs to Middlebury's 15. The Panthers had 23 turnovers
and the Gulls committed 19.
SU freshman goalie Natalie Pappas made seven
saves in the game while Middlebury sophomore Blair Bowie stopped
12.
Salisbury will next travel to No. 5 Franklin & Marshall on
Saturday for a 2 p.m. game.
