WASHINGTON, Pa. — Washington & Jefferson women's lacrosse went nearly an entire calendar year without a regular season loss, but Wittenberg stopped them one day short with a thrilling 11-10 overtime victory Saturday.
The Tigers became the first team to defeat the Presidents in regular season play since fellow North Coast Athletic Conference program Ohio Wesleyan took a 7-6 decision on April 3, 2010. Since that loss, W&J had won 17 consecutive regular season games. The team lost to FDU-Florham 12-8 in the East Coast Athletic Conference tournament championship game.
The game, suspended at one point in the first half due to the arrival of an ice storm, became the Tigers' third game played in mid-winter conditions. All three games were played in different states, first with freezing temperatures and just after a snow storm at Albion in Michigan, then at home in Ohio versus Denison, and now in Pennsylvania.
The Tigers improved to 5-2 with the win while knocking their opponents to 7-1. The teams battled to a 9-9 draw at the end of regulation, sending the game to an overtime period consisting of two three-minute halves, played to completion.
Wittenberg rode a wave of momentum into the extra period following a game-tying goal by sophomore Erin Guiliano (Loveland, Ohio/Kings) with 3:10 remaining in regulation. After four minutes of scoreless overtime, junior Jenn Close (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) and senior Maggie Amorello (Sutton, Mass./Worcester Academy) converted that momentum into back-to-back goals just 20 seconds apart.
Washington & Jefferson's Brittney Oake got one back but the Presidents fell short of evening the score, and the six-minute overtime drew to a close with the Tigers leading 11-10 to seal the victory.
The final statistics read as close as the final score. Wittenberg took 26 shots, the Presidents 22; saves: 7-8; ground balls: 26-19; draw controls: 13-12; turnovers: 26-26.
As even as the game was, it came in spurts. Wittenberg scored the first four goals of the game, but the Presidents put together runs of three and four goals in the second half.
Wittenberg led 5-2 at the half and scored the second half's first goal before W&J put together a four-goal run to tie the game at 6-6. Amorello scored back-to-back goals to take an 8-6 lead, but the Presidents answered with their three-goal run to take the lead, setting up Guiliano's game-saving goal.
Amorello led the Tigers' roster with three goals, adding an assist and two draw controls, while Guiliano, Close and junior Lindsey Hanners (New Albany, Ohio/Columbus School For Girls) each finished the game with two goals. Hanners paced the team in ground balls with five.
Senior Jordan Beauchamp (Noblesville, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) picked up four ground balls and tallied one goal along with sophomore Kellen Morrissey (Aurora, Colo./Smoky Hill). Freshman Francine Murzynski (Mentor, Ohio/Lake Catholic) controlled three draws to lead the category.
Junior Jenny Schaafsma (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids) played all 66 minutes in goal, making seven saves against a team that averages almost 12 goals per game.
The Tigers look to even their NCAC record with their next game, a 7 p.m. home contest with Kenyon College on Wednesday, April 6 at Edwards-Maurer Field.
John Strawn '07