NASHUA, N.H. – The Rivier women's lacrosse team fell 12-11 to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opponent New England Col. Wednesday evening at Joanne Merrill Field.
With the loss, the Raiders dropped to 8-9 (6-7 GNAC), while the Pilgrims improved to 11-6 (7-6 GNAC).
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Rivier opened the scoring with a free-position goal from first-year Olivia Wheeler and added a woman-up goal from sophomore Brooke Carter to take a 2-0 lead. New England Col. answered late in the quarter, scoring three straight goals over the final minutes to take a 3-2 lead heading into the second.
- The Pilgrims extended its lead to 6-2 early in the second with three unanswered goals. The Raiders responded with a strong stretch, getting woman-up goals from sophomore Ashlynn Ledoux and Wheeler before Ledoux scored again off a Wheeler assist to cut it to 6-5 at halftime.
- New England Col. struck first in the third with a man-up goal, but Rivier answered with a woman-down goal from first-year Chloe Waldron to stay within reach. The teams traded goals the rest of the quarter, with the Pilgrims maintaining a three-goal edge heading into the fourth.
- New England Col. pushed the lead to 11-6 early in the fourth before Rivier made a late run. Sophomore Brooke Carter started the push with a free-position goal, followed by tallies from Wheeler and first-year Hayleigh Young to cut into the deficit. First-year Kaycie Hudon scored back-to-back woman-up goals to tie the game at 11-11 with just over a minute remaining, but the Pilgrims answered with a late free-position goal in the final seconds to secure the win.
BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN
- Wheeler paced the offense with five points.
- Young led the team with 10 draw controls and five ground balls.
- First-year Arrianna Imbriano made two saves, surpassing the 100 save mark on the season.
UP NEXT
The Raiders travel to Standish, Maine to faceoff against Saint Joseph's (Me.) in the GNAC Quarterfinals. The opening draw is set for 11:30 am at the SJC Athletic Complex.
