UMW Women's Lacrosse Team Wins in CAC Opener
3 min readThe University of Mary Washington women’s lacrosse team was victorious in the first round of the Capital Athletic Conference against Marymount University. The Eagles trounced on the Saints defeating them 24-13.
Senior midfielder Catherine Kennedy paced the Eagle’s offense. The All-American amassed 11 goals. Senior Corinne Wiederker added three goals and senior Allie Kimmelman also scored three to go along with her three assists.
Despite the demanding win, the Eagles struggled at the start of the game. They were down 4-3 halfway into the first half. Coach Dana Hall called a timeout to settle nerves and get the Eagles into a rhythm. Marymount came out with a different approach the last time the teams met but “the team worked through the different strategy that Marymount threw at us and worked it out,” said Hall.
Afterwards the Eagles scored four straight goals within six minutes. They also scored three goals in-a-row to finish of the half. They led 10-6 at halftime.
In the second half, the team did a great job answering any Marymount production. Marymount would score, but then UMW would respond with spurts of two or three goals. They pushed the tempo, catching the Saints on their heels.
“We out-hustled Marymount on the draw controls, ground balls, and fast break opportunities, said Kennedy.” They had 10 groundballs in the second half to Marymount’s 5.
Freshman goalkeeper Taylor Paige was solid between the pipes, stopping six shots on the day. Her leadership abilities were evident, as she remained calm during the game. She was also instrumental in clearing the ball to the offense, initiating the fast break.
Kennedy’s performance Saturday was one of many she has had over her last four years. Among other milestones, she has the school record for goals but for her it’s not about individual accolades, “I would not be the player I am today without the support of my coaches and talented teammates.”
Coach Hall added, “Catherine Kennedy is definitely a special student athlete, as her four years have unfolded for her opponents have double teamed her [but] she has taken every challenge head on.
Even though they beat the same team by a similar margin a week before this game was important. “We wanted to make a statement and secure a spot in the semi-finals against York,” said Kennedy.
They travelled to York, Pa. on Tuesday to take on the pesky Spartans who beat the Eagles 17-11 in the regular season. The Eagles game had improved though, “We are a totally different team than we were the first time we played York,” Kennedy said. “Our loss against York made us realize that no team can be taken lightly.”
Coach Hall also said, “We are ready for revenge.”
Unfortunately, the revenge will have to wait until next season. The Spartans won 9-6 advancing to face Salisbury in the finals. It was very much a game of two halves. York gained an 8-2 advantage in the first half. The Eagles chipped away and only let up 1 goal but it wasn’t enough.
Sophomore Jenna Petrucelli and Kennedy both had two goals in the defeat.
Their season isn’t over quite yet. The Eagles are ranked 13 in the nation and paired with their tough schedule, will make strong case for an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament.
