SAINTS RALLY IN SECOND HALF TO DEFEAT GENESEO IN HOME OPENER, 17-16

Mar. 26: The St. Lawrence women’s lacrosse team overcame a 10-6 halftime deficit and jumped at opportunities to drive the ball to the goal in the second to edge non-conference opponent Geneseo 17-16 in the Saints’ first home game of the season Wednesday evening at North Country Field.

The Saints, now 4-1 overall, hope to use the momentum they’ve gained from their four-game winning streak to their advantage as they head into conference play this weekend. The Blue Knights fall to 3-1 with the loss.

The Saints got out to a 2-0 lead after senior co-captain Liz Skinner (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) and sophomore Mary Jane Sweetland (Hopewell, NJ/Stuart Country Day) both tucked the ball into the back of the net, with both goals assisted by senior co-captain Alanna Waters (Darien, CT/Taft). The Blue Knights came back with two goals of their own, including one from Maggie Benham, whose first goal of the game came off a free position to tie the game 2-2 with 20:36 remaining.

Waters continued to be a strong offensive force for the Scarlet and Brown, tallying the third goal of the game just over 30 seconds later to help give the Saints a slight edge over Geneseo. But the Blue Knights stormed back after Colleen Byrne tied the game with the visiting team’s third goal, sparking a 5-0 run that gave Geneseo a comfortable 7-3 lead in the middle of the first.

Two minutes later, a foul on Geneseo put sophomore Julie Wooters (New Canaan, CT/New Canaan) on the 8-meter, who saw Waters up near the crease, and passed it to the attacker, who tucked it into the back of the net to cut the Blue Knights lead to 7-4.

Sophomore Lexi Wisnowski (Middlebury, VT/Middlebury Union) and first-year Kaitlyn Fahsel (Watertown, NY/South Jefferson) both had goals at the end of the first, but three more from Geneseo helped keep the Blue Knights out ahead of the Saints with a score of 10-6 as both teams headed to the locker rooms at halftime.

An early second half goal by Geneseo’s Maggie Morris gave the visiting team their biggest lead of the contest, 11-6, but the chilly North Country air seemed to freeze the Blue Knights as first-year Kim Morse (Peaks Island, ME/Yarmouth Academy) began what would turn out to be a big second half for St. Lawrence. The midfielder beat her defenders and drove the ball to the goal to spark a 5-0 Saint run that included three of her own goals and two from Forbes to tie the game 11-11 with 20:23 remaining in the contest.

Geneseo’s Morris and Benham continued to be tough to solve, as both scored a goal in between two more from Forbes to help keep the game even, 13-13, with 11:25 to go.

Benham got another into the net less than a minute later to give the lead back to Geneseo, while teammate Shauna Leonard came back down the field three minutes later to score and give the visitors a 15-13 advantage.

Wooters scored her first of the evening 40 seconds later, igniting a 4-0 run for the Saints, with goals from Forbes, Sweetland, and Waters, to give them a 17-15 and the lead with only 3:00 left on the clock.

Geneseo’s Maggie Morris cut the home team's lead to one goal with 53 seconds remaining in regulation, but a tough defensive stand by the Saints kept the ball clear of first-year goalie Anna Marchand (Concord, MA/Middlesex School). The effort helped ensure the Scarlet and Brown's fourth consecutive win.

The Blue Knights out shot St. Lawrence 21-10 in the first half, but the home team held a 20-17 advantage in the second, where they also won twice as many draws.

Forbes tallied five goals and one assist for the Scarlet and Brown, while Waters had eight points with three goals, including the game winner, and five assist. Geneseo’s Benham had a game-high six goals.

Marchand tallied 11 saves, while the Blue Knights’ Hannah McKee had six in net.

St. Lawrence will travel to Saratoga Springs, NY on Friday, March 28, for their Liberty League conference opener against the Thoroughbreds from Skidmore College. The contest is scheduled to begin at 4:00pm.