ONEONTA, NY – It was a game of runs and lead changes on Tuesday at Wright Stadium, as the Hartwick women's lacrosse team stormed back from a 6-1 deficit to take an 8-6 lead midway through the second half before ultimately falling to SUNY Canton, 13-10. The loss, which snaps a four-game 'Wick winning streak, drops the Hawks to 5-4; the Roos improve to 7-2, matching the best start in program history.
Canton's leading point-scorer MaryClare Bowes scored the first goal of the game, firing one in unassisted with 1:12 off the clock. GinaMarie Wilson (East Meadow, NY/East Meadow) matched her with an unassisted tally of her own 2:11 later, and then the unanswered goals started. The Roos scored five straight from 23:05 to 11:03 of the first, taking a 6-1 lead. Jessica Pele and Molly Denny tallied the first two without direct help, followed by Bowes (woman-up, from Denny) and two from Erin Parks (assisted by Stephanie Thayer and Bowes, in order). Hartwick was able to regroup, scoring three times before the half was up to keep the game in reach at the break. Emily Schaub (Brewster, NY/Brewster) scored at 7:35 while up a woman, assisted by Rachel Hedden (Burlington, CT/Central Conn. State). The Hawks got the next two from free-position, as Emma Knapp (Canandaigua, NY/Marcus Whitman) and Wilson each fired home their 26th goals of the year just 24 seconds apart to finish off the first 30 minutes of scoring.
'Wick continued their unanswered stretch in the second half, scoring four times in a row from 27:13 to 15:42 for a total of seven goals in a row. Wilson scored another to bring the Hawks within one; Hedden converted from free-position while up a woman 5:10 later to tie the game up, and Cassie Durkin (Fayetteville, NY/Jamesville Dewitt) tallied another woman-up at 18:00 for a 7-6 Hartwick lead. Amy Tracy (Smithtown, NY/Florida Southern College) scored her ninth of the season at 15:42, giving 'Wick a little insurance.
Canton was undeterred, rifling the ball into the net three times in 1:04 from 15:11 to 14:07. Denny, Bowes, and Logan Bush spread the points among each other, registering a goal and an assist apiece on the three tallies. Hartwick forced yet another lead change soon after, when Wilson took a Hailey Pooler (Adams Center, NY/South Jefferson) pass and threw it into the net at 13:26 and Knapp found Hedden on the rush at 12:19, making the score 10-9 in favor of the home team. The Roos again were resilient, ensuring that there would be one final lead change. Denny scored her third of the game at 10:53 to retie the contest at 10-all, and Bowes tallied her fourth of the day (from Mia Jermano) to retake the lead. Canton put a late stranglehold on the game when Pele scored from free-position at 6:29 and Parks converted off of a Bowes pass with 5:51 to go. The Hawks had three shots in the final minutes of the game, but were unable to score on any of them.
Wilson had her fifth hat trick in the last five games (and sixth overall), tying for the game high with four goals on seven shots as well as leading the team with four draw controls and tying for the team high of two caused turnovers. Hedden had three points, scoring twice on three shots and assisting on one goal, also registering two draw controls. Knapp was the only other multi-point Hawk with a goal on six shots and an assist. Tracy and goalie Ashley Jablonowski (Levittown, NY/Island Trees) each led the team with four ground balls (Tracy also scored once), while Durkin and Emma Kaplan (Danbury, CT/Danbury) had three ground balls and two caused turnovers apiece (Durkin had a goal as well). Jablonowski played the full game in net for 'Wick, making 11 saves on 29 shots faced.
Canton had the clear advantage in all facets of the game, a narrow 27-26 Hartwick lead in ground balls aside. The Roos had 29 shots to the Hawks' 21 (and 24 to 15 on goal), 27 turnovers to 'Wick's 33 and 18 draw controls to the hosts' seven. They also were 14-of-17 on clear attempts, compared to Hartwick's 17-of-31.
Bowes led all comers with seven points, scoring four times on 11 shots and adding elsewhere with a ground ball. Denny had a strong game, too, with a hat trick on six shots, two assists, a game-high six draw controls, three ground balls, and two turnovers caused. Parks had three goals on three shots and a ground ball, and Pele had two goals on three shots, a game-high six ground balls, four draw controls, and three caused turnovers.
The Hawks are back to conference play next time, traveling to Rochester for a date with Nazareth on Saturday, April 6 at 3 p.m.
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