LEXINGTON, Va. – The fourth-ranked Salisbury University women's lacrosse team battled back to within two late in the game but fell to the 10th-ranked York Spartans, 12-10, in the NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinals on Saturday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
· York got on the board with a goal less than a minute into the game on a Zoe Kluegel goal.
· Salisbury responded with two scores over the next few minutes with goals from
Leah Vilov and a woman-up by
Erin Scannell to take the 2-1 lead midway through the first.
· With 1:23 left in the first, York's Sydney Mentzer knotted the game at 2-2 at the end of the first.
· York took a 3-2 lead at the 11:44 mark of the second quarter with a woman-up goal by Logan Ward.
·
Alexandra Parker tied the game back up at 3-3 with a free-position goal just over a minute later.
· York answered with a 4-1 run to close out the first half and send the teams into halftime with a 7-4 lead.
· The Spartans extended the run to 6-1 with two goals to start the third quarter by Kluegel and Sydney Mentzer to extend their lead to 9-4.
· The Sea Gulls used a 3-1 run at the end of the third to cut into the lead, 10-7, heading into the final period.
Caroline Knight,
Riley Hartman and Scannell scored for the Sea Gulls in the run.
· Zoe Kluegel tacked on a goal for York at the start of the fourth.
·
Emma Skoglund found the back of the net at the 10-minute mark to make it 11-8.
· The Spartans added one more insurance goal to make it 12-8 with 7:39 remaining.
· A two-goal run for the Sea Gulls cut the lead down to 12-10 with 2:33 left to play with goals from Parker and Vilov but the lead was too much to overcome, and the game finished with a final score of 12-10.
SALISBURY GAME NOTES
·
Leah Vilov led the Sea Gulls with three goals. She also scooped up three ground balls and caused a turnover.
·
Alexandra Parker and
Erin Scannell each tallied two goals.
·
Kaitlyn Hunsinger earned the start in goal and tallied six saves.
Gabriella Dorsey also saw time in the cage and recorded three saves.
YORK GAME NOTES
· Zoe Kluegel scored a game-high four goals.
· Kiersten Blanchard tallied five points on three assists and two goals.
· Bella Garabo earned the win in the cage and tallied nine saves.
THE WRAP
· The Sea Gulls conclude the 2023 season with a 15-4 overall record.
· Salisbury qualified for its 20th consecutive and 24th overall NCAA Division III National Tournament with its third straight Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Championship.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, and dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on-and-off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 22 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 188 conference championships and 44 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or on social media @SUSeaGulls.
