ROCHESTER, NY – The second-ranked Salisbury University women's lacrosse team saw its season come to an end on Friday as the Sea Gulls dropped a tight, low-scoring affair against the Wesleyan University Cardinals, 5-4, at Judson Stadium on the campus of RIT.
After the Cardinals (19-3) got on the board first,
Regan McDonnell swung a feed over to
Mackenzie Demaio, who ripped a step-down opportunity into the back of the cage to draw the Sea Gulls (20-1) level with 26 seconds remaining in the opening frame.
Wesleyan (Conn.) got back in front with a tally just over three minutes into the second stanza.
Leah Doy countered five minutes later, neatly placing a free-position attempt into the bottom right corner of the cage to knot the contest up. The Cardinals once again got in front, but
Audrey Harrington located
Regan McDonnell for a blast to make it a 3-3 before going into halftime.
The Cardinals carved out the next two markers before
Grace Doyle got the Gulls back within one with a solo score into the top right corner.
Both defenses held serve in the final frame of play. The Maroon and Gold were able to get two late opportunities from Doyle, however both bids went awry, and the Cardinals ran down the final ticks to secure a spot in Sunday's championship.
GAME NOTES
- Regan McDonnell led the squad with a goal and an assist. McDonnell showed out defensively with a grounder and two caused turnovers.
- Grace Doyle played excellently in the midfield as well, with a tally, two rollers and two caused miscues.
- Mackenzie Demaio and Leah Doy found twine once. Audrey Harrington chipped in a helper.
- Abby Fleishell showed out in her final game as a Sea Gull. Causing a career-best seven turnovers with three ground balls and two draw controls to boot.
- Paige Ellis came up with critical stops throughout the battle, making two stops in each quarter of play. Ellis finished her career with 33 wins, good for seventh in program history.
- The Sea Gulls were outshot 20-18, went 18-for-21 on clear attempts and turned the ball over 12 times.
The Sea Gulls conclude the season with a 20-1 record. SU recorded its 11th 20-win campaign and 15th final four in program history.
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), Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse), State University of New York Athletic Conference (field hockey), and Colonial Women's Golf Conference (women's golf). 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 211 conference championships, and have produced 54 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
