OSWEGO, N.Y. – Oswego Women's Lacrosse traveled to Pennsylvania to face off against the Grove City Wolverines. The Lakers were keen to get a win on the road after finding success at home on Tuesday afternoon. Despite a slow start, Oswego settled in on defense and connected on offense towards the end of the first quarter. A physical effort on ground balls and consistent draw success allowed the Lakers to maintain possession and transition effectively. Goals from 6 different Lakers helped contribute to Oswego's 16-11 win over the Wolverines.
THE BASICS
Final Score: Oswego: 16 (3-2, 0-0 SUNYAC), Grove City: 11 (3-2, 0-0 President's Athletics)
Location: Robert E. Thorn Field | Grove City, P.A.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The opening draw of the game would be controlled by the Wolverines, giving them the first turn on offense. This would not last long as Senior defender Kiara McKercher would regain possession and a good clear attempt by Oswego netminder Sarah Kamide, would send the Lakers on offense. An overly excited Grove City defense would award Senior attacker Isabella Lembo the first free position shooting opportunity of the game at 12:37. Lembo's shot would unfortunately be saved and cleared out by Wolverine goalie Elyse Kiggins. As the quarter got underway the game remained scoreless and the Lakers remained dominant on groundballs. Grove City Graduate Student Madison Nazigian, struck first for the Wolverines with a goal at 7:43. Sela Wiley did not sweat it, controlling the following draw and scoring first for Oswego, tying the score 1-1 at 4:44. In the final minutes, both teams would trade offensive zone time and the scoreboard would remain unphased until Wiley scored again at 1:15 improving the scoreline to 2-1. Kate Fierro would close out the first quarter with a 3rd goal for the Lakers scored off a free position shot.
Oswego's offensive momentum carried into the opening minutes of the second quarter, maintaining possession off the draw and notching a fourth goal at 14:11, pushing the score 4-1. Wiley would add another goal of her own, just less than two minutes later at 12:48. The Wolverines would respond to the Lakers' unanswered scoring spree with a goal at 11:50 and another at 9:50. Despite a connected defensive effort by Oswego, Grove City began to mount come back. A successful free position attempt for the Wolverines would tie the game at 5-5 heading into the final minutes of the quarter. A yellow card would give the Lakers a man-up advantage on which Julia Quirk would capitalize, extending the score to 6-5 at 5:18. Junior Sophia Ruschin also found a way to add to the scoresheet, finishing the half with a score of 7-5 in Oswego's favor.
Much like the second, Oswego began the third with a successful draw and offensive transition. Lembo would add an 8th goal to the tally off her second free position attempt of the game at 14:02. A connected Oswego defense would make it hard for the Wolverines to get quality shots on net and for them to maintain possession. In the following minutes, consecutive goals from Lembo and Quirk would help the Lakers extend their lead to 11-6 at 9:45. Succeeding these points, both teams would trade turns on defense and goals on free position attempts, making the score 12-7. Despite the score, Grove City did not back off on defense, keeping pressure on the Lakers all over the field, but Lembo showed off her prowess netting a 13th goal to finish the third quarter.
As the final quarter unfolded, Oswego did not hold back, adding to their 7-goal lead in the opening minute of play. The following draw would land in favor of the Wolverines but would be turned over once again by Sela Wiley. A composed passing play from the Laker offense set Madison Davis up nicely to score the 15th goal for Oswego at 12:47. Persistent efforts from both teams would leave the score 16-9 heading into the final minutes of regulation. As the clock ticked down, the Wolverines made a last-ditch offensive surge, capitalizing on a defensive breakdown by the Lakers at 1:52 and catching them on their heels once more at 1:28 increasing the score to 16-11. Oswego maintained possession in the final minute to secure a 16-11 win over Grove City.
WHAT'S NEXT
Oswego Women's Lacrosse will make their way to Rochester, N.Y. to face off against the Nazareth Golden Flyers this Tuesday, March 12th at 4:00pm.
Written By: Matilda Pethrick
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