By Miguel Gonzalez
Sports Editor
The lacrosse team earned two victories this week. On April 4, the Lions splurged against Stevens Institute of Technology, beating the Ducks, 12-3. Later on Saturday, April 8, the team claimed its first conference win against Montclair State University, 8-3.
On Monday, April 10, the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association announced the Lions as the current No.1 team in NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse. It has been nearly six years since the Lions topped the IWLCA poll.
After a narrow 7-6 win against Gettysburg College, the Lions cruised through the Ducks at Lions Stadium. In the seventh minute, the Ducks struck first when senior midfielder Kathleen Kalbian rebounded a shot for a goal.
The Lions then responded and scored two consecutive goals. Junior defender Elizabeth Morrison caused a turnover and flicked to ball to senior attacker Mia Blackman. After cradling through Duck defenders, Blackman hurled in a shot for a goal. Less than two minutes later, sophomore midfielder Kathleen Jaeger scored.
The Lions offense produced two more goals at the end of the first half. Freshman midfielder Alexandria Fitzpatrick scooped in the ball and passed it to junior midfielder Amanda Muller. Muller then fired a shot straight at the Ducks net to give the Lions a 4-2 lead. In the next Lions possession, sophomore midfielder Erin Harvey padded the Lions lead with another goal.
The Lions dominated the Ducks in the second half, scoring seven goals while only conceding one. Jaeger scored four consecutive goals to anchor the offense.
The following Saturday, the team won its first New Jersey Athletic Conference match at Montclair State University.
After 13 minutes of stalemate play, the Lions broke through when Blackman’s shot landed past the goal line and the referees declared it a goal. In the next play, Red Hawks senior attacker Lindsay Lare quickly tied the match at 1.
Muller nearly scored off a free position attempt in the 19th minute, but Red Hawks freshman goalkeeper Amanda Maguire caught her shot for a save.
With seven minutes remaining in the first half, Jaeger put the Lions ahead when she scored off a free position attempt. Lare tied the match at 2 in the next play when she hurled in a shot.
The Lions offense exploded in the second half, scoring six goals. After Blackman scored another goal off a free position attempt, the Lions never stopped scoring as their lead accumulated. Meanwhile, the Red Hawks scored only once early in the half.
“There have been so many amazing moments that happened on the field, funny and serious.” Morrison said. “The experiences forged bonds with within us. Nothing beats the feeling of waking up on game day or jamming out pre-game music in the locker room. Most importantly is the feeling of giving 100 percent and walking off the field satisfied.”
So far into the season, the Lions have outscored their opponents, 90-33, and out shot them, 209-78. Jaeger is currently the Lions leading scorer with 26 goals followed by Blackman with 18 goals. Meanwhile, the Lions solid defense has caused 86 turnovers.
The Lions will compete on the road this week as they travel to Camden, N.J., for a conference match against Rutgers University-Camden on Tuesday, April 11. Later on Saturday, April 15, the Lions head down to Salisbury, Md., to play against the No. 13 ranked Salisbury University Sea Gulls.
