Category: Lacrosse

Lauren Boone

Senior Writer

The women’s lacrosse team ended its season with a 14-11 loss to Marist on April 20 at Tenney Stadium. Marist took advantage of a quick start, ending the Orange and Blue’s three-game winning streak, despite four goals and three assists from Katelyn Miller ’14.

The Red Foxes started off strong, scoring seven unanswered goals in the first ten minutes of play. Despite the shaky start, the Bison picked themselves back up, scoring four goals in a row. Madison Hurwitz ’13 assisted a goal to Ryan Wenk ’13 before scoring a goal of her own, while Miller scored a couple goals from free-positions. After tightening the score to 7-4, the Bison let up four more goals to the Red Foxes before the end of the first half.

Only 23 seconds into the latter half, the Red Foxes scored another goal, increasing their lead to eight. The Bison were able to outscore Marist 7-2 throughout the rest of the half, but were unable to make up enough ground to come away with the victory.

In the statistics round-up, the Bison led 31-27 in shots, forced 17 turnovers and were tied 18-18 on ground balls. The difference was made by the Marist goalie, who saved a total of 15 shots, compared to only seven saves for the Bison.

“Going into the game against Marist, we knew one of the main things we needed to do was win the draw,” Miller said. “We were unsuccessful in the beginning, which caused us to be down by a large deficit, but we never stopped fighting and had a great comeback, making the score within three goals. We had some great caused turnovers on defense and attack was working really well together towards the end of the game, but unfortunately we simply ran out of time. It was really emotional knowing it was the last game we will ever play with Madi, Adrienne [Wendling ’13] and Ryan, but I think this team has really improved since the beginning of the season and I think we are going to be even better next year.”

Miller ended the season setting career bests for herself, logging a total of 52 points, with 39 goals and 13 assists. Hurwitz also broke personal records this season, with 22 assists and 48 total points. She finishes her Bison career with a total of 129 points.

Ajan Caneda

Copy Editor

It was a Senior Day to remember for the women’s lacrosse team as it came away with a hard-fought 10-9 victory against Holy Cross on April 13, earning its first Patriot League win since 2009. The Bison then concluded a solid week by defeating Saint Francis (Pa.) 9-7 on April 16 to earn their third straight victory. Seniors Ryan Wenk, Madison Hurwitz and Adrienne Wendling were honored before the Holy Cross match.

“I’m most proud about leaving this team and program on a better position for the future than what I came into. With so many great girls returning and such great coaches, the future of the program is very bright,” Hurwitz said.

After Holy Cross scored the game’s first two goals in the opening minutes, the Bison responded with four straight goals, including two from Wendling. Caroline O’Neill ’15 made a crucial save, leading to the team’s first possession. Wenk capitalized and dished an assist to Wendling for the Bison’s first goal of the match. Wenk’s tally at the end of the first half gave the Bison the 5-4 edge at halftime.

“Every play was about being as scrappy as possible and leaving it out on the field. Our connections on attack were flawless; I felt as though I heard Wenk to Wendling, Wendling to Wenk numerous times over the loud speaker,” Wendling said.

Holy Cross regained the advantage in the second half, posting two goals. Hurwitz was the catalyst for the offense, assisting Katelyn Miller ’14 and Cori Thielemann ’15 for two more tallies to steal the lead back. The duo of Wenk and Wendling concluded a 3-0 run for the Bison, as Wendling found Wenk for her second goal.

“As a senior unit, we were able to execute what each of us do best. Madison had numerous assists, Ryan was accurate in her shots and I was able to play solid D and maintain composure on attack,” Wendling said.

Holy Cross evened the score at eight with 12:35 remaining in the game. Hurwitz posted her only goal at the 11:05 mark, and Wenk dished the ball to Thielemann, who scored her second goal of the game, to gain a two-goal advantage for the Bison. After the Crusaders made it a one-goal game, the Bison came up huge defensively, as Miller made two critical defensive plays to seal the victory.

“Beating Holy Cross and our celebration on the field after just shows how much of a team we are–from the last girl on the bench to each and every starter–everyone wanted and played a part in that game,” Wendling said.

Against Saint Francis, the Orange and Blue carried a slight 5-4 lead into the half. The Bison scored three straight goals in the second half to open up their largest lead of the game. Kerri Althouse ’14 clinched the match after forcing a turnover that resulted in a goal for Miller. Wenk and Miller each finished with hat tricks, while Hurwitz dished four assists to pace the Bison offense. The team also held strong defensively, forcing 16 Saint Francis turnovers.

The Bison conclude their regular season Saturday when they face Marist in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. at 4 p.m.

Ajan Caneda

Copy Editor

The women’s lacrosse team began its week with a 13-8 home loss against Lafayette on April 6, but bounced back behind a career-high seven-goal performance by Madison Hurwitz ’13 to defeat St. Bonaventure 17-9 on April 9.

Sam Rickels ’16 posted the first goal of the game against the Leopards off of a free position shot. Lafayette traded goals with the Orange and Blue in the early minutes, as Cori Thielemann ’15 evened the score at three apiece. Unfortunately for the Bison, the Leopards closed the half on a 4-0 run.

Ryan Wenk ’13 ended the Bison scoring drought with a tally at the 20:07 mark followed by an Adrienne Wendling ’13 goal two minutes later off an assist from Wenk. But that would be as close as the Bison would get, as the Leopards scored three unanswered goals to make it a seven-goal deficit for the Bison, and put the game out of reach.

Despite the loss, Caroline Collins ’15 had a solid game with three caused turnovers, two ground balls and two draw controls.

It was a better result against St. Bonaventure, as Katelyn Miller ’14 and Hurwitz accounted for 12 of the Bison’s 17 goals en route to their third victory of the season. The Bison went on a couple of 4-0 runs to lead 9-3 at the half, while holding a 20-5 shot advantage. Miller dished out three assists and scored three goals in the half.

“In our game on Saturday (Lafayette), we struggled with a lot of offensive turnovers due to a lack of focus, but we definitely cleaned that up a lot for St. Bonaventure and it really showed in the score,” Miller said.

The Orange and Blue continued to shine in the second half, adding another eight tallies. Hurwitz, Miller and Rickels were part of another 4-0 run, ending a terrific offensive night for the Bison.

Thielemann, Sophie Kleinert ’14 and Blair McDonald ’15 each scored a goal in the win. Miller’s five goals brought her to the 30-goal mark for the second straight season. Wendling finished with seven ground balls, one away from the program’s single-game record. In addition, Miller recorded a career-best nine points in the victory.

“I was able to get a lot of draws because Sophie [Kleinert] was able to control where the ball was going every time, which made it easy for me to get into a good position on the circle. Offensively, we really worked as a team which made it easy to feed people,” Miller said.

The Bison will host Senior Day against Holy Cross Saturday at 1 p.m. at Graham Field. Hurwitz, Wendling and Wenk will all be recognized before the game.

“I am very proud about leaving the program in better standing for the future than when I joined and am really excited about continuing to end the season very strong both personally and as a team, hopefully getting our first Patriot League win this Saturday,” Hurwitz said.

Ajan Caneda

Copy Editor

The women’s lacrosse team split its two contests in Washington D.C. this past week, falling to American 11-6 on March 30 before responding with an impressive 22-9 victory against Howard on April 3.

The Eagles engineered an early 3-1 run to begin the first half, but the Bison responded with four straight goals from Katelyn Miller ’14, Ryan Wenk ’13, Sophie Kleinert ’14 and Sam Rickels ’16. American brought the halftime score to 5-5, posting two more tallies to end the first half.

In the second half, American’s defense locked down the Orange and Blue, as the Eagles rallied behind a six-goal run before Miller would complete her hat trick in the closing seconds of the game.

Madison Hurwitz ’13 recorded the lone assist for the Bison, while Rickels and Adrienne Wendling ’13 registered three draw controls each. Goalie Caroline O’Neill ’15 had four saves. Despite the loss, the Orange and Blue had the advantage in shot attempts (21-18) and draw controls (12-7).

Against Howard, the Orange and Blue scored 11 goals in each half, as they cruised to their second victory of the year. After Howard posted the initial goal, the Orange and Blue answered with six unanswered tallies. The offensive streaks continued in the second half, as the Orange and Blue went on a 6-0 blitz to start the half and concluded with a 5-0 run to come away with the comfortable win.

Hurwitz posted a career-high nine points, scoring five goals and dishing out four assists. Cori Thielemann ’15 added four goals of her own. Miller and Wenk each finished with hat tricks, as Miller added three assists and eight draw controls to her scoring total. The Orange and Blue also had a 39-20 shot advantage and a 19-14 edge in draw controls.

The Bison have two home matches coming up, as they will face Lafayette Saturday at 1 p.m., followed by a matchup against St. Bonaventure on April 9 at 7 p.m.

Ajan Caneda

Copy Editor

The women’s lacrosse team scored 17 goals this past weekend, but the Bison were unsuccessful in both of their contests, falling to Duquesne 18-9 at home on March 26 after suffering a 14-8 road loss to Lehigh on March 23.

Against Duquesne, the Bison were down 9-2 at halftime with Madison Hurwitz ’13 scoring the only two goals for the Orange and Blue. After the Dukes opened the scoring in the second half, the Bison went on a 4-1 run with goals from Sam Rickels ’16, Ryan Wenk ’13, Katelyn Miller ’14 and Sophie Kleinert ’14. It would not be enough to stop the offensive attack of Duquesne, as it scored six unanswered goals to put the game out of reach.

Hurwitz had a season-high four goals, while Miller added two goals and an assist for the Bison. The Dukes outshot the Orange and Blue 27-17 in the game. Goalie Caroline O’Neill ’15 finished with five saves.

At Lehigh, seven players registered goals for the Bison, including two from Emily Kookogey ’15. The Orange and Blue also had a 24-23 shot advantage, but a 5-0 second half run led the Mountain Hawks to victory.

Kleinert scored the initial goal at the 27:19 mark of the first half, but Lehigh answered with five straight goals. Kookogey’s two goals, along with scores from Rickels and Wenk were part of a 4-2 Bison run that trimmed Lehigh’s halftime lead to 7-5.

Cori Thielemann ’15 capitalized on a free position shot and scored her first goal of the match to make it a two-goal game, but the Bison were held scoreless for nearly 25 minutes, as Lehigh scored five more straight goals. Emily Becker ’16 ended the game with a goal of her own off an assist from Hurwitz.

Adrienne Wendling ’13 finished with four ground balls and forced two turnovers, while Rickels registered four draw controls.

The Bison look to pick up their first conference win when they travel to Washington, D.C. to face American on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Andrew Arnao

Sports Editor

The women’s lacrosse team traveled to Fairfax, Va. and Washington D.C. last weekend to face the George Mason Patriots and the George Washington Colonials. Despite two close  matches, the Bison came away empty handed with a 12-8 loss to George Mason and an 11-9 loss to George Washington.

Plagued by slow starts in previous matches, the opening half against George Mason on March 1 was little different for the Bison as they fell behind 10-3. The Bison did manage to regroup in the second half, outscoring George Mason 5-2 and preventing the Patriots from scoring during the match’s final 23 minutes, but it was too little too late for the Orange and the Blue.

Emily Kookogey ’15 and Katelyn Miller ’14 led the offense with two goals each, while Madison Hurwitz ’13, Sam Rickels ’16, Sophie Kleinert ’14 and Ryan Wenk ’13 also scored one goal apiece. Adrienne Wendling ’13 played a big role on defense, with six draw controls, while goalie Caroline O’Neill ’15 recorded four saves.

The Bison looked to rebound against George Washington on March 3. They took an early 2-1 lead thanks to goals from Miller and Hurwitz and responded to three straight Colonial goals with three of their own (two from Wenk and one from Kookogey). Unfortunately, the Bison were unable to sustain their offensive success in the second half, when the Colonials went on a 6-1 run to take a commanding 11-6 lead. Miller had three more goals in the final minutes to lessen the deficit, but it was not enough for the Orange and the Blue as they fell to 0-5 for the season.

In addition to Miller’s hat trick, Kleinert also put points on the board for the Bison with a single goal in the second half. Wendling caused four turnovers, while Kerri Althouse ’14 led the team with four ground balls. O’Neill finished the match with 11 saves.

The women’s lacrosse team is still looking for its first win as they open Patriot League play tomorrow at Colgate. The Orange and the Blue also play Presbyterian in South Carolina on March 12 and will be hosting Navy on March 16 at 1 p.m.

Andrew Arnao

Sports Editor

The Bison women’s lacrosse team traveled to Baltimore on Feb. 23 to face off against the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays, its third nationally ranked opponent in a row. The Bison fell to the Blue Jays by a final score of 19-4 and have now suffered three tough losses to start off their season.

“Although the score in Hopkins did not reflect it, I think that our team has made a ton of progress since our first game,” Ryan Wenk ’13 said. “Since our first three opponents were ranked in the top 20 nationally, it has been challenging to run our plays effectively and get good shots off, but with each game we were able to hold on to possession for much longer than in the previous game and play more confidently against the high pressure defenses that we were up against.”

The Blue Jays greeted the Orange and Blue with furious offensive assault to start off the game and shot their way to an 8-0 lead in the first 20 minutes. The Bison managed to get on the board with 9:20 left in the first half on a goal by Emily Becker ’16 and later added another goal on a free position shot by Emily Kookogey ’15, but the Orange and the Blue still faced a 10-point deficit as they headed into halftime down 12-2.

The second half was not much kinder to the Bison, though the defense managed to contain the Blue Jays to only seven goals. Wenk and Madison Hurwitz ’13 added individual goals to close out the scoring for the Orange and Blue. Despite finishing with 12 draw controls, only one less than Johns Hopkins, the Bison were plagued by turnovers, losing the ball 28 times compared to only 19 times for the Blue Jays.

Going forward, Wenk believes that there is reason for the team to be optimistic.

“Our goalie [Caroline O’Neill ’15] has really been holding her own against some of the best teams in the country. Our defense has really come together as well,” Wenk said. “This week in practice we have focused a ton on our offensive plays and moving the ball quickly.”

Hurtwitz also believes the team will soon find success. “I am extremely confident in my teammates and believe wholeheartedly that we will get our first W on the road this weekend in DC,” Hurwitz said. “We are better than we have been in four years as everyone is stepping up, contributing greatly, and playing with passion and heart everyday.”

The Bison will look to apply what they have learned as they continue their road stretch against George Mason and George Washington this weekend.

Andrew Arnao

Sports Editor

The Bison women’s lacrosse team fell in its season openers against two nationally ranked opponents. The Orange and the Blue fell in their home opener against Stony Brook 20-5, and later suffered an 18-2 loss on the road to Penn State.

Against No. 18 Stony Brook, the Bison fell behind 2-0 after the first seven minutes of regulation. A goal by Emily Kookogey ’15 on a free position shot suggested a change in momentum for the Orange and the Blue, but Stony Brook proceeded to score four more to assume a 6-1 lead. After a couple of goals by Cori Thielemann ’15 and Emily Becker ’16, the Stony Brook offense exploded for 12 straight goals to turn a 7-3 lead into 19-3 blowout. Sam Rickels ’16 and Katelyn Miller ’14 rounded out the scoring with two late goals as the Bison suffered their first defeat of the season.

Goalie Caroline O’Neill ’15 allowed 18 goals in 52:27 of play, but also recorded 10 saves for the Bison.

“We started out very strong. Our goalie had one of the best games of her career and the defense looked very solid,” Miller said. “However, Stony Brook was very aggressive and we had a difficult time translating on offense.”

Things were not any easier for the Bison against No. 9/10 Penn State. The offense was shutout during the first half, while Penn State rattled off 13 straight goals in the game’s first 35 minutes. The Orange and the Blue got on the scoreboard with back-to-back goals by Kookogey and Madison Hurwitz ’13, but that was it for the Bison as Penn State finished with off the game with five more goals.

“Penn State [was] expected to be just as good, if not better than Stony Brook,” Miller said. “These two games [were] much harder than any game we expect to see in our conference so this is great preparation for us.”

The women’s lacrosse team will look to get back on track as they travel to Johns Hopkins to face off against the undefeated Blue Jays Saturday at 4 p.m.