ALBANY, N.Y. – Junior Jade Catlin (Middletown, Md.) tallied three goals, as the UMass Lowell women's lacrosse team (12-6) fell to the UAlbany Great Danes (8-9), 12-11, in the America East Conference semifinals.
"It was a great college lacrosse game!" said Head Coach Lisa Miller. "Wish UAlbany the best of luck on Sunday, they made plays down the stretch and managed the clock well. A well-coached and disciplined performance from their squad. I couldn't ask for more from my group in terms of preparation, effort, execution, and enthusiasm. Proud of our work this year and hope we never take it for granted and keep striving to be the best we can. Go River Hawks!"
Catlin, who was one of seven goal scorers for the River Hawks, also added in five draw controls. Tied with her, sophomore Audra Hansen (Stamford, Ct.) added three goals. Sophomore Grace Lydon (Rowley, Mass.) and freshmen Jillian Goldie (Owen Sound, Ontario) and Chloe Bowers (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) each contributed with a goal and an assist. Senior Megan Brockbank (Bayport, N.Y.) and sophomore Macy Shultz (Adams, N.Y.) rounded out the scorers with a goal each. In between the pipes, freshman Alexa Kuhn (Rocky Point, N.Y.) finished with nine saves.
It didn't take long for the River Hawks to get started, as 30 seconds in, Brockbank dashed past a defender and fired a shot past the keeper, giving her squad a 1-0 lead. The Great Danes fired right back striking with 14:01 on the clock to even the score. The UMass Lowell offense continued to go to work with Lydon and Goalie burying back-to-back shots in under a minute, putting the River Hawks on top, 3-1, mid-way through the first. Although the hosts added another, a rocket by Catlin at 6:52 gave the River Hawks a two-goal edge. The remainder of the quarter proved to be a defensive battle, as the score remained the same heading into the second.
The defensive battle continued in the early minutes of the quarter before the Great Danes tallied two to even the score at 4-4 with 10:42 on the clock. UMass Lowell's defense stepped up to the challenge, keeping the opposition off the scoreboard for seven and a half minutes, highlighted by two big saves from Kuhn, keeping the score knotted up with just over three minutes to go. UAlbany added three more before the break, but Hansen found the back of the net with five seconds to play on a free-position shot, cutting the deficit to 7-5 heading into halftime.
Coming out of the locker room, the River Hawks stepped up the defensive pressure, using a caused turnover by graduate student Julia Napolitano and two more saves by Kuhn, to hold the Great Danes scoreless for nearly the entire period. Meanwhile, with 4:15 remaining in the third, Hansen struck again, this time in a woman-up situation, pulling her team back within one, 7-6. UAlbany wouldn't back down, tallying a goal with 23 seconds to go, to make it an 8-6 game heading into the fourth.
The River Hawks opened the fourth with a strong showing on both ends of the field, as Goldie caused a turnover before sending a pass deep to Shultz, who raced down the field and sent a shot past the keeper, pulling her team back within one. After a goal from the hosts extended the lead, Catlin fired off her second goal to make it 9-8 with 11:31 to play. Two straight from the Great Danes made it a three-goal game with six minutes to play, but the River Hawks refused to go down without a fight, using a 3-1 run with goals from Catlin, Hansen, and Bowers to pull within one, 12-11, with 54 seconds to play. In the final seconds, the Great Danes maintained possession, sealing the 12-11 final score.
