The Slippery Rock University women’s lacrosse team picked up a win against Gannon on Tuesday to sweep the season series. The Rock earned an 11-9 victory, and the triumph sets them up with a chance to make the PSAC playoffs.
The Rock controlled the first half on both ends, and it all started with a goal from Molly Buettner two minutes in. Gannon answered with a goal four minutes later from McKenna Woodworth, who netted goal number 30 of the season. For the rest of the first half, though, The Rock went on a 5-0 run.
The Rock’s Emily Benham scored less than two minutes after Gannon’s first goal. After Benham scored, Katie Dlugosz scored and Buettner and Benham also netted their second goals of the game. Jamie Dicarlo scored the last goal of the half, and things were looking really good for The Green and White as they went into the half with a 6-1 lead.
“We were up 6-1 at the half, and we played very well defensively and offensively, and we controlled the ball for a lot of the first half,” Coach Van Alstyne said. “In the few defensive possessions we had, we did really well, and offensively we had a lot of great looks.”
The Rock’s offense has been clicking as of late as they scored double-digit goals in five of the past six games. Slippery Rock has been led by Buettner, Benham, Dlugosz and Dicarlo who have accounted for a combined 81 goals this season.
“I think the offense has come so far, we have so many threats all over the field that can put the ball in the back of the net,” Van Alstyne said. “We do such a good job of working off of each other’s strengths, so I’ve been really pleased.”
In the second half, Gannon scored only 47 seconds in when Woodworth scored her second of the game. And for the entire second half, the teams went blow for blow. Benham scored again to put The Rock up 7-2. The Golden Knights then answered with two more goals to put the score at 7-4 with a little over 20 minutes to play.
Dicarlo put the ball in the back of the net soon after, but once again the Golden Knights scored two to answer back. Charleigh Rondeau put The Rock on the board again only 11 seconds after the Knights cut the deficit to two. In the final 13 minutes, The Rock was outscored 3-2. Both of The Green and White’s goals game from Dicarlo, who finished with four goals. Woodworth finished with five goals for the Golden Knights.
In the end, The Rock pulled the game out, 11-9, and now Gannon hasn’t beat Slippery Rock in two years. With the win, The Rock also gave themselves a good shot at making the playoffs. They only have one game left as the added game against IUP was canceled. Now The Rock will finish out the season against Lock Haven next Tuesday and will look for a .500 record and a chance at the postseason.
