Slippery Rock women’s lacrosse team was eliminated from playoff contention despite beating Edinboro University on Thursday by a final of 10-7.
In order to make the PSAC tournament, the Rock needed a win over Edinboro, and a Lock Haven win over Indiana University. However, IUP defeated Lock Haven, 14-13, ten minutes after the Rock’s win on Thursday.
SRU improved to 6-5 in the conference and tied its all-time record for wins in a season at 11, but missed making the playoffs by one game for the second year in a row.
A highlight of the game occured during the opening of the second half when senior Casey Quinn scored three straight goals to put SRU up, 7-5 with 27:22.
Prior to its win against Edinboro on Thursday night, the Rock improved its record to 10-5 overall with a 17-10 win over Tiffin University on Tuesday evening at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.
In the victory, senior Amy Halls, who is already the school’s all-time leading scorer, became the first 250-point scorer in school history.
Senior Katie Roof also reached a milestone of her own, scoring her 100th career point to become the sixth player in program history to surpass the 100-point mark.
“It’s such a great feeling reaching 100 career points,” Roof said. “I’m excited I accomplished it because it’s been my main goal since I first started playing.”
The win marked the second consecutive season for the Rock with 10 or more wins.
Halls led the Green and White with seven points on three goals and four assists to bring her career scoring to 256 points.
Senior Emma VanDenburg scored five points on three goals and two assists and junior Holly Webb scored three goals.
Roof finished the game with two goals and one assist. Sophomore Morgan Pettit scored twice and had one assist.
Quinn added one goal and one assist to round-off the multi-point scorers for the Rock.
Sophomore Lauren Laubach, freshman Sarah Gonslewski, and freshman Paige Costantino each scored one goal apiece.
Senior Samantha Eddy and freshman Jess Verbic each dished out one assist to cap the scorers for the Green and White.
With the win, junior goalie Natalie Crenshaw improved to 9-5, playing the first 38:40 of the game and having one save. Sophomore Ariel Gilbert stepped in for the final 21:20 and recorded four saves. Both Crenshaw and Gilbert allowed five goals each.
Tiffin scored the first goal of the game, just 30 seconds into first period, but SRU answered with a goal of their own just 17 seconds later.
The Rock went on a 7-0 run to take a 7-1 lead with a little over nine minutes remaining in the first half. They took a 9-4 lead heading into the half.
The Green and White put together separate 3-0 runs to take a 15-5 lead with 25:08 to play in the second half, but Tiffin would never recover from the deficit.
SRU held Tiffin’s Alexandria Quast, the nation’s leading goal scorer, to four goals and one assist. She entered the game leading all of Division II with 70 goals and 20 assists.
Webb said the team has come together and become a much more cohesive stronger since the beginning of the season.
“I think we have really come together throughout the season on and off the field to make us a stronger unit when it comes down to game time,” Webb said. “We have become better as each game passes and we’re all there to lift each other up, no matter what.”
SRU will finish the regular season with a home non-conference game on Saturday afternoon against Seton Hill University. The five seniors (Hall, Roof, VanDenburg, Quinn, Eddy), all four-year players for the Rock, will be honored in a ceremony prior to the start of the home game.
