The Gannon University women’s lacrosse team started its week off in spectacular fashion, coming from behind to post a 14-11 victory over Slippery Rock in a PSAC match on April 12, but the Knights fell in their second match of the week, 17-5, to Lock Haven Saturday on the road.
The split decisions left Gannon with a 6-9 overall record and a 3-7 mark in PSAC play going into Wednesday’s 4 p.m. road matchup with Edinboro.
The Knights have never lost to the Fighting Scots, having won all eight of the previous matchups involving the two teams.
Gannon will wind up regular-season play at 11 a.m. Saturday at McConnell Family Stadium. The team must win its final two games and get help from others in order to reach the PSAC Tournament.
The Knights started out with a 2-0 deficit against Slippery Rock, but were able to rally to take down the visiting Rock.
The game was tied at 9-9 until Kierstyn Haight unloaded for three straight goals to give Gannon a 12-9 advantage.
Slippery Rock rallied to score two straight goals over the next four minutes to pull within one goal at 12-11.
But Tessa Mitchell scored less than a minute later off an assist from Leilani King to make it 13-11, and Yohana Romero added another goal – also off an assist from King – in the final three minutes to seal the win.
Haight and King each finished with five goals while Ashley Mozingo added two and Mitchell and Romero each tallied once for the Knights.
The player of the game, though, had to go to freshman Kat Martinelli who had a career-high 16 saves in the game.
Saturday turned out to be a completely different story, as the 13th-ranked Eagles had their way with Gannon, scoring the game’s first 13 goals en route to an easy win.
The Knights were unable to get anything going early in the matchup and were unable to score until midway through the second half.
Gannon put five goals on the board, but by then the game was out of reach.
Alexa Bower led the way with two goals while Kayla Shields, Mozingo and Mitchell each contributed one.
MATTHEW NEWARA
[email protected]
