By Erin Izydorczak
Staff Writer
After losing every match in the first half of the season, the women’s lacrosse team is making progress and moving in the right direction after two hard-fought games, according to Coach Ryan Lynn.
The team played George Mason on Friday and lost a close game 11-9. Sophomore midfielder LeighAnn Stauffer found the back of the net three times to help St. Bonaventure go into halftime with a 3-0 lead.
In the second half, Stauffer scored yet another goal but soon after George Mason’s Rachel Obergon responded with two consecutive goals to tie the game.
As the game progressed, the girls couldn’t retain the lead, and George Mason cushioned it with Alexa McGovern, Jacquelyn Spalding and Katie Mascolo each contributing a goal.
Stauffer and sophomore attacker Mikayla Place scored at the end, but they couldn’t close on the four-goal margin.
“The team was definitely more composed on both the offensive and defensive end which helped us keep the score close,” Lynn said. “We just struggled to close it out in the end.”
Stauffer, Place and senior goalie Sara Schlagenhauf all had a good game, according to Lynn.
“All three stepped up for us. They started to make some nice connections for us on the offensive end. Also again Sara in net she definitely is keeping us in these games,” he said.
Schlagenhauf managed to make 14 saves for the Bonnies overall.
On Sunday, the Bonnies battled George Washington and lost 18-10.
George Washington had a fast start to the game and dictated most of the play. However, the Bonnies’ senior midfielder Lily Timlin scored first, and Stauffer added three goals to keep the team in the game.
The Brown and White struggled during the second half, but Stauffer managed to score another goal before getting kicked out of the game for a violation.
“LeighAnn carded out with 14 minutes left of the game which put us behind, but the team managed to step up,” Lynn said.
The Bonnies fought hard with one less player and Place, freshman midfielder Taylor Fallon and sophomore midfielder Mary Maestri each scored a goal. Meanwhile, Schlagenhauf made 10 saves throughout the game.
Today, the team will travel to Philadelphia to take on Saint Joseph’s at 4 p.m. on Sweeney Field.
The game will be a key matchup according to Lynn, as shown throughout the teams’ history since they have a record of 7-7 for the last 14 games.
The team is scheduled to play at La Salle at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
“(There will be) a little more of a battle since La Salle typically has been a rival for us within the A-10, and no matter what, it has always been a good game, but they are going to be very aggressive and we have to take that advantage away from them and keep it on offense,” Lynn said. “Also, we need to keep our composure and not allow them to dictate the base of play. It will be nice to see if we can carry last weekend’s play into this weekend.”
