http://www.reportermag.com/article/48

Regaining The Momentum by Rachel Hart

03.21.2008 | Sports

RIT freshman Nicole Erskine keeps her eye on the ball during women’s lacrosse action on March 11 against SUNY Geneseo. The Tigers went on to lose the game 13-8 in the home opener.
Andrew Ong

In a nail-biting finish, the Women’s Lacrosse team was victorious over Denison University in their season opener. RIT was down 2-6 at halftime. Another unanswered point in the second half would have been disastrous. Goalie and co-captain Kelsey Evans, a sophomore in Photojournalism, described what helped to turn the tide: “Coach told us we needed to step it up, start winning the draw and scoring some goals.” Coach McGuigan felt it was a few dedicated players who kept RIT in the game: “We had some returning players [who] stepped up in the second half and refused to lose.” The final score was 9-8, a seven-point comeback from halftime. Co-captain and midfielder Jessica Cotton, a junior in Biotechnology, scored three times. To her credit is the game-winning goal, which she scored with only 5 minutes and 36 seconds left on the clock.

This momentum would be impeded at the girl’s home opener against Geneseo. Many factors were to blame; Cotton described, “RIT started out the game slow and just [wasn’t] able to pick it up enough to come up with the win.” Evans described the main downfall, “The biggest thing in the first half that killed us was not winning the draw. We can’t win a game or score goals if we don’t get and maintain possession of the ball.” However, Cotton added, “I am very proud of what we were able to do [versus such a well-established program].” Despite the loss, Evans made a whopping 20 saves.

Despite the setback, the team turned its sights to Allegheny, a new addition to the schedule this season. Against a new, unpredictable, and unfamiliar team, Cotton said, “[We] prepared as we would for any other game, putting emphasis on the issues we had against Geneseo.” Mainly focusing on defense, Evans worked on her goalkeeping skills. “I like to get a fast break started, and sometimes I force a clear that isn’t there.” The preparation was a success. The women’s lacrosse team rallied to win over Allegheny 11-6. Danielle Pravi (a freshman in Psychology) and co-captain Amanda Crozier (a junior in Civil Engineering Technology) racked up four goals apiece. Amazingly, the first five goals for RIT were scored in a five-minute time frame, shelling the Allegheny goalie.

With this win under their belt, the team looks to the rest of the season unanimously hoping to clinch a spot in the Empire 8 Tournament. “I think we would all like to do this by decisively winning one of the slots. Not like last year, where three teams were tied for fourth place and the final spot in the tournament was decided by scores,” described Evans. Cotton is dreaming even bigger: “We’re looking to do things that this team has never done and go further than we ever have.” McGuigan’s response was similar: “We always plan to go as far as the season will go.”