Slippery Rock University lacrosse saw its playoff chances eliminated when it lost 15-3 to undefeated Lock Haven Saturday. Before the game Bloomsburg beat Millersville to tie SRU for sixth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) standings, and with the loss to Lock Haven, Bloomsburg won the tie breaker after defeating SRU earlier in the season.
Lock Haven controlled the game throughout with a 30-16 advantage in total shots and a 16-4 advantage in draw controls. The Rock did hold the advantage in ground balls 19-16, but also led with 37 fouls, while Lock Haven only had 17 fouls. The Green and White finished the year with a 9-8 record, 6-6 in PSAC play.
“I think we had a good season this year,” junior Kaytlin Callaghan said. “We can together as a team, the team played as a whole all season and that will give us a big push going into next year.”
The Rock had five seniors this year, Lydia Heishman, Jess Verbic, Gigi Sani, Sarah Morris and Paige Costantino, who were honored before the game on Saturday.
Heishman and Costantino each scored goals in their last collegiate game. Morris picked up two ground balls in the game, bringing her single season school record total to 59. She is the all-time leader at SRU in ground balls with 164. Costantino finishes her decorated career ranked fourth in career goals and assist, with 123 goals and 46 assists. Costantino ranks third in all-time scoring at SRU with 169 points.
Callaghan may have had the biggest moment of the game though. Her second half goal gave her 71 points on the year, which is a new single-season school record.
Callaghan is one of the underclassmen that will be returning, and hopes to finally get her team into the PSAC playoff next season.
“We did beat the number six team in the nation,” Callaghan said. “Most of the players that helped beat that team are coming back next year. We have so many young players that saw the field. We are such a strong unit, and after losing all the close games and the beginning of the year, this unit knows what to do so that we win those games next year.”
Callaghan believes the team would have made the PSAC playoffs if just one of those early games would have went Slippery Rock’s way. Whether it was the back to back double OT losses against West Chester and Seton Hill, or the 19-12 loss to Bloomsburg. Callaghan said she thinks since there were so many underclassmen playing this year that experienced the heart breakers, and it will fuel them to win those close games early on next season.
SRU is returning five of its six top scorers, and nine players that saw time in the starting line up during the season.
