SALISBURY, Md. – The fifth-ranked Salisbury University women's lacrosse team dropped a heartbreaker on Wednesday evening, falling by a 10-9 final to the Messiah University Falcons in overtime at Sea Gull Stadium.
The Sea Gulls (10-4) blitzed the Falcons with four straight goals to begin the contest, powered by a pair of
Grace Doyle goals and tallies from
Miranda Mears and
Regan McDonnell. The Falcons (12-3) found their first goal in the final 30 seconds of the opening frame to cut the lead to three, 4-1.
Audrey Harrington and
Avery Dunbar logged consecutive solo scores in the second quarter to balloon the lead to 6-1 and prompt a Messiah timeout at the 7:52 mark. The Falcons flipped a switch with two goals late in the stanza to start a six-goal run that ended with a 7-6 Messiah edge with 8:48 to play in regulation.
Using late-game heroics from Mears and
Alexandra Parker, the Sea Gulls rattled off three straight goals in just over three minutes to lead 9-7 with 47 seconds to play. The Falcons parried with two scores in the final 34 seconds to force overtime before the visitors found their winner with just 60 seconds left in the first added period.
GAME NOTES
- Miranda Mears finished with her sixth hat trick of 2025, scoring a team-high three goals and putting seven of her eight shots on target.
- Audrey Harrington totaled a team-leading five points on one goal and four assists.
- Alexandra Parker logged three points on one goal and a pair of assists.
- Natalie Held scooped a team-high six ground balls and caused a pair of turnovers.
- Abby Fleishell corralled five draw controls and caused three Falcon miscues.
- Reagan Davis scooped three grounders and caused a turnover in the bout.
- Paige Ellis (10-4) was tagged with a tough loss, making nine saves across the full 65 minutes.
The Sea Gulls travel to Newport News, Va. on Saturday, April 19th to face the Captains of CNU. The road battle is set to begin at 1 p.m.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming) and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have won a combined 23 team national championships, 24 individual national championships, and 202 conference championships, and have produced 50 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 follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
