NEWPORT, R.I. – The Curry College women's lacrosse team gutted out a hard fought victory over the Salve Regina Seahawks on Tuesday night in Newport, R.I. After the back-and-forth tilt, the Colonels walk away with a 20-17 triumph and improve to 6-5 on the year with a 2-2 mark in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC). Salve remains above .500 at 4-3 overall but slips to 1-2 in conference play.
The teams traded goals to start the game as Allie Wysocki (Agawam, Mass.) and Kaity Doherty (Portsmouth, R.I.) scored the first goals of the day for their respective teams to make the score 1-1. Curry would jump on a run, however, scoring the next four goals to bring it to 5-1 with 21 minutes remaining in the first half. The opponents continued to butt heads as a pair of Colonel goals and three more by the Seahawks brought the tally to 7-4. Just two minutes later, Salve jumped on a run of their own, stringing together four goals by four different players to take their first lead of the day at 8-7. The momentum was soon snatched back by the Colonels, though, as seven of the final eight goals of the frame went Curry's way. The scoring barrage included the third of the day for each of Wysocki, Andria Torres (Milford, Conn.), and Leona Stevens (Kingston, Mass.) as the Colonels headed to the intermission with a 14-9 advantage.
Out of the break, the visitors picked up right where they left off, as Torres and Stevens each found the net in the first 10 minutes to stretch their edge to seven. With 17:28 remaining in regulation, Salve converted a man-up advantage which cut off the Colonels' offensive spree and quickly started one of their own. Facing a six goal deficit, the Seahawks used the next nine minutes to claw all the way back, knotting the score at 17, capped by back-to-back goals from Lindsey Smith (North Attleboro, Mass.). With eight minutes left, the conference foes were facing a brand new game. Less than 30 seconds after Smith's equalizer, Abby Dubel (Wolfeboro, N.H.) stopped the bleeding for Curry by converting a free position shot, which was followed by an unassisted marker by Torres, as the freshman snatched up a loose ball and broke away from the Salve defense. Doherty cut the lead back to one with 4:30 left to play, but Torres reinstated the two-goal lead shortly after. As the foes entered the final three minutes of the tilt, the Seahawks were faced with a 19-17 score and a penalty which they were hoping to kill to stay in the game. Katie Tarr (Atkinson, N.H.) had other thoughts, however, as a failed clear by the hosts led to the sophomore crashing the net and securing the victory for the Colonels with her first goal of the day, making the score 20-17 with just 80 seconds on the clock.
Torres put up a double hat trick in the win with six goals, while Stevens (4 goals, 1 assist) and Wysocki (3 goals) recorded hat tricks of their own. Dubel won 12 draws for the visitors. Maddie Villareal (Portsmouth, R.I.) notched six points on the day with three goals and three assists while Doherty topped all Seahawks with four goals. Christina Myers (River Edge, N.J.) grabbed nine saves but falls to 4-3 with the loss while Jessica Ginaitt (Warwick, R.I.) improves to 6-5 after an 11 save performance.
Curry gets back on the field on Thursday, April 4 at 4:00 p.m. as they host Rhode Island College. With six games left in the season, it will mark the Colonels' final non-conference home contest of the year. The Seahawks resume play on Saturday, April 6 as they host their Senior Day at 1:00 p.m. against the Bison of Nichols College, another CCC foe.
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