There’s nothing quite like the feeling of a come-from-behind victory.
The women’s lacrosse team found itself down five goals to visiting Richmond just two and a half minutes into the second half Sunday at Geasey Field. Knowing that they had to pick it up, the Owls quickly sped up their attack in their quest to get back into the game.
The result was a 9-8 victory for the Owls over the visiting Spiders.Led by junior Whitney Richards and seniors Allison Frengs and Casey Cech, all three of whom scored two goals each, the Owls evened the score in slightly more than 12 minutes. But Richmond wouldn’t go away without
a fight, as Allison Furstenberg gave the lead back to the Spiders. However, the Owls refused to let their comeback bid fall just short.
Senior Johna Capaldo re-tied the game and Richards, who also added an assist, struck the game winner to send the Owls to the thrilling victory.
For the Owls, this was their second heart-pounding win a row, with Friday’s contest against Massachusetts also coming down to the final seconds. With these close wins and intense games, coach Bonnie Rosen said it speaks volumes to how the Owls are evolving into a competitive team in the Atlantic Ten Conference.
“I’m just really proud of them,” Rosen said. “We’re getting better and better each day. This whole weekend shows the maturity and it’s just the beginning of our potential.”
Frengs, one of the leaders on the team, said she also knew what these wins meant to the Owls (4-6 overall, 2-0 in A-10).
“[The comeback] says a lot about our team,” she said. “We never give up. We’re a fighting squad.”
Although things looked bleak in the first half – the Owls had long possessions that yielded few results while Richmond countered with fast and efficient scores – the Owls didn’t change their game plan. In fact, they used the opening portion of the game as an opportunity to scout the opposition.
“Basically we spent the beginning part of the game feeling them out,” Rosen said. “I was really excited and proud of our team for not losing focus on our game plan and just sticking to it.”
Frengs echoed her coach’s assessment, but was also aware that the team couldn’t play anymore games while facing a three goal deficit at halftime. “In the first half, we tried to feel out the defense,” she said.
“In the second half, we really didn’t have time to mess around. Just had to go for it.”
After another solid performance, junior
goalie Bridget McMullan can look back at what her team did wrong in the first half, and how that changed once the second half rolled around. “[Richmond] was getting a lot underneath us, and we knew we had to overcompensate on that one side,” she said of the Spiders (9-5, 2-1).
“They just kept beating us individually, so we knew we had to send more doubles. So we were more together as a team [in the second half].”
In a game full of ups and downs, Rosen was aware of the effort and determination her team showed on the field.
“They really showed a lot of heart and courage the way they played,” she said.The Owls are back in action Wednesday as they travel to New Jersey to take on Princeton.
They will return home Sunday for a conference showdown with George Washington.
Todd Orodenker can be reached at todd.orodenker@temple.edu.
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