FREDERICK, Md. – The Hood College women's lacrosse team held on to defeat the Western Connecticut Wolves 12-11, staving off their late comeback attempt in the fourth quarter.
Inside the Box Score
Mackenzie Demaio (Urbana, Md./Coronado (Calif.)) did it all, leading the team with four goals and four assists, scooping up four ground balls and adding one caused turnover.
Julia Gregory (Sussex, N.J./Vernon Twp.) scored three and had four total points.
Olivia Pickett (Mount Airy, Md/Linganore High School) grabbed five ground balls.
Brooke Harper (Sykesville, Md./Century) made 14 saves to earn the win for the Blazers.
How it Happened
Western Connecticut got on the board first, but Hood answered 33 seconds later to tie the game at one. The Wolves would regain the lead though, scoring twice more while locking down on defense to put the Blazers at a 3-1 disadvantage after 15 minutes of play.
Free position shots sparked offense for Hood as free possession shots by Pickett and Demaio brought the score even at 3-3. The ensuing draw control was
won by Pickett and 15 seconds later
Abby Burnette (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) would find the back of the net to give Hood its first lead of the game. Turnovers by Western Connecticut created a cold streak and left room for
Katy Przybocki (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown) to score back-to-back goals for a 6-3 lead with six minutes left in the half, and Demaio decided to do the same as the Blazers finished the first half on a 7-1 run to head into the locker room up 8-4.
It looked like Hood would continue their dominance the rest of the game when Gregory put one in the back of the net after just over one minute of play in the third quarter, but the Wolves would put up two goals in less than two minutes, then add a third with just a couple seconds in the quarter to cut the Blazers' lead to just 9-7 with one quarter left.
Both teams would add two goals to their total in the first five minutes of the final frame to keep it a two-goal game, and a goal from Gregory with just under three minutes left looked like it would put it away for good. Western Connecticut was not done just yet though, as two goals in 53 seconds got them within one and looking like they would be able to send it to overtimes. The Wolves were poised to do just that when a Hood foul gave them a free position shot with 1:36 left, but Harper made possibly the biggest save of the game to keep the ball out and retain possession, at which point the Blazers were able to hang onto the ball and a 12-11 win.
For the Opponent
Vicky Gracy led Western Connecticut with four goals.
Faye Junge picked up five ground balls and had one caused turnover.
Molly Bresnahan made 13 saves in the loss.
Analysis
Both teams had 10 turnovers.
Western Connecticut had a slight 33-32 edge in shots.
The Wolves picked up 23 ground balls compared to 21 for the Blazers.
Up Next
Hood makes its way to Glenside, Pennsylvania for a matchup against Arcadia Saturday, March 16 at 12 p.m.
