Lady Eagles fall short in CAC clash with York
2 min readBy LIZ EISEMAN
On Saturday, April 6, the University of Mary Washington women’s lacrosse team hosted York College of Pennsylvania at the Battlegrounds, eventually falling to the Spartans, 18-9.
The Eagles were competing for the No. 2 seed in the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) tournament, and their dedication was clear throughout the game despite the loss.
Sophomore midfielder Emily Atkinson scored twice in the first half, and dished the ball off to senior attacker Keller Torrey for another goal. Sophomore attacker Corrinne Wiederkehr did the same, feeding junior midfielder Megan Gersbeck a pass for a goal to make the score 5-4 early in the contest.
The game was still in reach at halftime, as the Eagles trailed only 9-6.
Head coach Dana Hall said she was “especially proud” of senior goalkeeper Kathryn Stiltz and her 15 saves. During halftime, Hall and her team stressed the importance of capitalizing on minor aspects of the game.
Improving faceoff play was one of the aspects that needed improvement. “[York] had a specialist who was very good at possessing the ball,” Hall said. York hauled in an astounding 23 draw controls, while the Eagles managed to bring down five.
In addition to the aforementioned scores, Wiederkehr, junior attacker Angela Sperbeck, junior midfielder Jenna Petrucelli and freshman attacker Ashlyn Dacey each recorded goals in the losing effort.
Despite strong goaltending from Stiltz, the Eagles could not slow down the Spartans’ offensive attack, allowing 18 goals in the contest.
In the second half, York pulled away from UMW, eventually tripling the three-point lead it had built in the first half.
After the game, Hall admitted that her team “took the loss hard,” but she has no doubt that the Eagles will rally during their remaining games.
On Wednesday, April 10, the Eagles took down St. Mary’s College of Maryland at home, 24-18. This Sunday, April 14, UMW will play another home match against Washington and Lee University.
After this weekend, Mary Washington only has two more regular season games on the schedule. With a 7-6 overall record, every game matters for the Eagles.
