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.

SAINTS FALL TO NO. 11 UNION, 17-7

Mar. 29: Despite two goals from both senior co-captain Alanna Waters and first-year Kim Morse, the St. Lawrence University women’s lacrosse team wasn’t able to contain a fast Union College offense Saturday afternoon, as the nationally-ranked Dutchwomen defeated the Saints 17-7 in Liberty League action in Schenectady, NY.

The contest, which was the first Liberty League match-up of the season for the Saints, ended their four-game winning streak as they fell to 4-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play. No. 11 Union remains unbeaten thus far in 2008, tallying their fifth consecutive victory of the season and their second straight conference win after defeating Clarkson University 18-6 Friday night.

Sophomore Mary Jane Sweetland (Hopewell, NJ/Stuart Country Day) got the visiting team on the scoreboard first after getting the ball from Morse (Peaks Island, ME/Yarmouth Academy) and putting it behind Union goalie Melissa McDonald to give the Saints a 1-0 edge with 25:41 to play in the first. Union’s Caitlin Cuozzo evened things up with a goal at 23:45, but the Saints took back their one-goal advantage after senior co-captain Liz Skinner (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) passed the ball to first-year Kaitlyn Fahsel (Watertown, NY/South Jefferson), who put it between the posts to make the score 2-1 in favor of the Scarlet and Brown.

The Dutchwomen’s Keri Messa scored less than a minute later to even the score at 2-2 and spark a 6-0 Union run in just 15 minutes that would leave the Saints trailing 7-2 at the end of the first.

The second half saw Waters (Darien, CT/Taft) earn the first goal within the first 30 seconds after a foul was called on Union, sending the senior attack to the 8-meter for a free-position shot that she made after going one-on-one with McDonald. Union’s Kristin Joyce shot a ball into the Saints’ net with 26:53 remaining in the contest to set the pace for the Dutchwomen in the final period, as the home team had five unanswered goals in the next ten minutes to gain a comfortable 12-3 lead.

St. Lawrence was not down and out, as sophomore Julie Wooters ( New Canaan, CT/ New Canaan) had a goal with 14:43 left, igniting a 3-0 run that also included two goals from Morse, bringing the score to 12-6 with 11 minutes on the clock.

Union had five of the last six goals of the contest, with Waters’ second free-position goal with 8:23 remaining being the exception, to ensure their 17-7 victory.

“Our game started out great. When we were executing, we were patient with the ball and looking for quality scoring opportunities,” said Saints’ Head Coach Jodi Canfield. “We were able to hold them off defensively in the first half and not let them take any easy shots on goal.”

“They are a quality team and used a few fast-break chances to their advantage,” Canfield continues. “Their speed in their transition game was much better than ours and turned the tempo of the game.”

Union out shot the Saints 32-14, while also holding an 18-14 edge with groundballs. The home team also held a 13-9 draw controls advantage. St. Lawrence was 2-for-3 in free position shots, while Union was perfect, making their only shot from the 8-meter.

Morse and Waters both had two goals and an assist, while Fahsel recorded one of each. Sweetland, Wooters, and Skinner, each had a goal. Union was led by Messa, who had a game-high four goals and five assists.

First-year goalie Anna Marchand (Concord, MA/Middlesex School) recorded six saves, while McDonald tallied four for the Dutchwomen.

The Saints contest with Skidmore, originally scheduled for Friday, March 28, but postponed due to weather conditions, will take place tomorrow, March 30, at noon in Saratoga Springs, NY.

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.