SAINTS TAME THOROUGHBREDS, 18-13

Mar. 30: The St. Lawrence University women’s lacrosse team bounced back from Saturday’s loss to nationally-ranked Union College and used a solid effort on both ends of the field to defeat Liberty League opponent Skidmore College 18-13 Sunday afternoon in Saratoga Springs, NY.

For St. Lawrence, who improved to 5-2 overall with the win, it was their first conference win of the 2008 season, moving them to third place in the Liberty League with a 1-1 conference record. The Thoroughbreds fell to 2-5 overall and 0-2 in the league with the loss.

Skidmore didn’t waste any time finding their way to the Saints’ net, as the home team got on the scoreboard 41 seconds into the game and was able to keep the Saints scoreless for over eight minutes before sophomore Julie Wooters (New Canaan, CT/New Canaan) put the ball between the posts with 21:47 remaining in the first.

Both teams traded goals for the next eight minutes, with neither team able to solve the other’s defense to earn a substantial lead. Senior co-captain Alanna Waters ( Darien, CT/Taft) changed that when she scored two goals in a row to give St. Lawrence a 5-3 edge with 12:20 left on the clock.

Skidmore was able to bring it back within one goal a minute and a half later, but Waters used the help of teammate Kim Morse (Peaks Island, ME/Yarmouth Academy) just over a minute later to tuck another one past Skidmore goalie Courtney DeStefano to give the visiting team a 6-4 advantage with under ten minutes to go before the end of the half.

The attack’s goal started a 3-0 Saint run, which included goals from Morse and sophomore Lexi Wisnowski ( Middlebury, VT/Middlebury Union), that doubled St. Lawrence’s lead, as the scoreboard read 8-4 in favor of the Saints with 5:25 to go.

Two Thoroughbred goals within a minute of each other brought them back within striking range as the period winded down, but junior Amanda Forbes (Glens Falls, NY/Glens Falls) got the ball from Morse and put it in the net with 16 seconds left in the first to give the Saints a 9-6 lead as the half ended.

Forbes’ goal gave the Saints momentum, which was evident by their second 3-0 run of the contest to open up the second. Waters netted her fourth goal of the contest, while Forbes and sophomore Mary Jane Sweetland (Hopewell, NJ/Stuart Country Day) followed suit, putting their second goals in the net to give the Saints a comfortable 12-6 advantage with the scoreboard reading 22:03.

Skidmore tried to come back and overcome the six-goal deficit, scoring their first goal of the second period with 21:18 on the clock off a free-position, but Forbes tucked in her third goal with a shot from the 8-meter to maintain the St. Lawrence lead. The home team began to figure out the Saints, as they tallied three consecutive goals in the middle of the second to get within three goals, but Waters’ unassisted goal with 12:50 left to play, which proved to be the game-winner, ignited another 3-0 Saint run to increase the lead back to six, with the score standing at 16-10 in favor of St. Lawrence with 8:14 on the clock.

Skidmore tallied another before Morse and Forbes both beat DeStefano once again to give the Saints an 18-11 lead, while the Thoroughbreds closed out the contest with two goals in the final 90 seconds to bring the score to its final, 18-13.

“Our offense did a much better job today, capitalizing on fast-break opportunities and having a good transition game,” said Saints’ head coach Jodi Canfield. “We were able to get possession off of a lot of draws and maintain it throughout much of the game. Defensively, we hustled to every ground ball and put a lot of pressure on Skidmore, forcing them to turn the ball over. I was very happy with how everyone played.”

Three Saints had five points in the game, with both Waters and Forbes tallying five goals a piece, while Morse had two goals and three assists. Forbes and Morse were valuable on both sides of the ball, as the junior caused two turnovers and the rookie picked up three ground balls. Others scoring for the Scarlet and Brown included Sweetland with three goals, and Wisnowski, Wooters, and first-year Kelsey Redpath (Norwich, VT/ Hanover) each with one. Wooters had two assists while Redpath also assisted a goal.

Saints’ goalie Anna Marchand (Concord, MA/Middlesex School) earned her fifth win of the season in net as she had 10 saves, while DeStefano had 17.

St. Lawrence will welcome Wells College to North Country Field on Tuesday, April 1st for a non-conference contest between the Express and the Saints. The first draw is scheduled for 5:00pm.