The Ramapo women's lacrosse team failed to hold off Fairleigh Dickinson's aggressive style of play at their home opener on Tuesday, starting the season with a 0-1 record after an 18-6 defeat.
The Roadrunners fought throughout the whole game, going shot for shot with the Devils until midway through the second half. Though Ramapo was on the offensive nearly as much as its opponent, nobody could connect with the net of the goal. After 11 shots on goal, freshman Lindsay Hughes scored Ramapo's first goal of the game, while FDU-Florham already had three of six shots.
The Roadrunners' frustration was overwhelming, as many teams would be, because their effort on the offensive line wasn't putting up any actual results. Coach Jane Koeniges, however, was all about the positives, stressing how the coaching staff "saw a lot of great things, and felt an improvement from our scrimmage," and the main thing they needed to focus on now was "consistency in our play."
After Hughes first goal, Ramapo remained on the offensive attack, but the Devils' defense played too strong. They responded to the Roadrunners' aggression with three more goals to take a 6-1 lead with five minutes remaining in the half. Sophomore Taylor Jade Nicholas put up another goal for Ramapo with three minutes remaining in the half, shrinking the deficit from five to four and bringing their shots on goal up to 15.
FDU-Florham regained possession after another offensive push by the Roadrunners and scored once again with six seconds left of play, bringing their goal tally up to seven. The first half ended with Ramapo down by five goals once again, trailing the Devils by a score of 7-2.
The Roadrunners came into the second half on fire, with Hughes scoring three goals in less than three minutes, bringing the score to 7-5. The freshman led Ramapo's attack the entire game, showing her extraordinary potential in her first game.
"[Hughes] has done a tremendous job for us," Koeniges said. "She's playing a key position and has really embraced the challenge."
But Hughes goals weren't enough to break down the Devils. They responded immediately with a seven-goal streak that went unbroken by Ramapo, until Hughes scored her fifth and final goal of the game with eight minutes left of play. The Devils shut down ensuing offensive runs by the Roadrunners after that and added four more goals to their own count to finish the game with an 18-6 score. Even though no team looks to start their season with such a sound defeat, Koeniges approached this loss as a chance for growth and learning.
"Every time we play together we are gaining chemistry," said Koeniges. "Good teams find a way to meet the challenges of adversity and this team will do the same."
The Roadrunners continue to move forward and look to get their first win of the season when they play Drew University at home today.
kshea@ramapo.edu
