No. 12 Union Withstands Strong Second Half From Saints, 16-11

Apr. 17: The St. Lawrence University women's lacrosse team powered through a 10-3 deficit at the half and outscored nationally-ranked Union College in the second period, but it was not enough to overcome the seven goal difference as the Saints fell to the Dutchwomen 16-11 Friday afternoon on North Country Field in Liberty League action.

Union, who was most recently ranked 12th in the IWLCA Coaches Poll, improves to 9-2 overall and is still undefeated in conference play, winning five straight contests this season. St. Lawrence falls to 4-7 and a 1-5 mark in the Liberty League.

Midfielder Kim Morse (Peaks Island, ME/Yarmouth Academy) had her best game thus far in her sophomore campaign, recording a game-high six goals and one assist for seven points. She scored on each of her shots on goal in the contest. Senior captain Amanda Forbes (Glens Falls, NY/Glens Falls) and junior Julie Wooters (New Canaan, CT/New Canaan) each put two in the back of the net, while junior Katrina Knickerbocker (Clinton Corners, NY/The Gunnery) also recorded a goal for the Scarlet and Brown. In addition to Morse, Forbes and rookie Nora Langan (Philadelphia, PA/Springside) each added a helper to the Saints' cause.

Despite getting on the scoreboard first thanks to Morse, St. Lawrence found themselves playing catch up nearly two minutes later after Union blasted two shots into the back of the net to get an early 2-1 edge with 23:31 to go in the first. Forbes knotted things less than a minute later, but Union continued to score in pairs as Chelsea Charette scored her first of five goals off a free position shot, following by teammate Jill LaForest at 17:46 to jump ahead of the home team 4-2.

St. Lawrence scored one more in the half off the stick of Morse but was unable to cash in on any of their free position opportunities in the opening stanza. A major factor in the first half came in the middle of the field, as the Dutchwomen controlled 10 of the 14 draws and used those wins to force the ball down near the Saints net, putting a lot of pressure on the Saints' defensive unit. The visiting squad went on a six goal run down the stretch, led by Charette and three free position goals, to end the half with a decisive 10-3 lead.

Union scored two goals to open the last 30 minutes of play to earn a 12-3 advantage over St. Lawrence, but it never deterred the Saints from solving their offensive issues as Morse led the way with a four-goal half. The Scarlet and Brown slowly chipped away at Union's lead, never giving them a double-digit lead, and slowly erased the draw control gap from the first half as the home squad won 8 of the 15 in the second half, which continued to be the difference in the game. While Union had five more goals in the game, St. Lawrence blasted eight into the Dutchwomen's goal to outscore the nationally-ranked squad 8-6 in the final period. The Saints found much more success at the eight-meter as well, tucking both free position shots past Union goal minder Cat Ruggiero.

"I was pleased with the way our girls battled back in the second half," said St. Lawrence Head Coach Jodi Canfield. "It's tough when you're down 10-3 against one of the best teams in the country. But, we had a lot of fight and came out to win the second half not only in goals scored, but controlling draws as well as highly-contested groundballs. It was a solid team effort and we will certainly be able to carry that momentum into tomorrow's game."

Ruggiero made six saves for the visiting team, while sophomore goalie Anna Marchand (Concord, MA/Middlesex) kept eight from slipping into the back of the net for St. Lawrence.

Union held a 30-19 advantage in shots, including 20-9 in the first half alone, and also held a 23-21 edge in groundballs.

St. Lawrence will host Skidmore College in more Liberty League action on Saturday, April 18th at 2:00pm on North Country Field.