Women’s Lacrosse Weekend Win

The Ramapo women’s lacrosse team broke its five-game losing streak last Saturday at home against the College of Mount Saint Vincent.

The Roadrunners put the first win on the board with a come-from-behind win against the Dolphins that ended with a final score of 10-8. With this victory, they improved to 1-2 in the Skyline Conference and 1-5 for their overall record.

Coach Jane Koeniges was ecstatic with her team’s performance, saying she was “extremely happy” that her girls managed to pull off such an “exciting win.”

“My girls really earned it, coming from behind like that,” said Koeniges. “They worked hard and came together to get the win.”

The Dolphins and the Roadrunners started the game playing shot for shot. For every goal one team would score, it didn’t take long for the other to respond with one of their own. Freshmen Lauren Schmidt and Lindsay Hughes led the offense for the Roadrunners in the first half, tallying a total of three goals between them.

However, Mount Saint Vincent’s strong offensive play had them outshooting Ramapo, scoring a total of six goals within the first 30 minutes. Ramapo was playing mostly middle and back field defense and couldn’t break past the Dolphins’ own strong backs. Though the Roadrunners ended the half behind by three goals, they knew the game was not yet over.

“When we started the second half, the game just felt different,” said freshman Kelsey Lawrence. “We weren’t letting them beat us; we were determined to win this one.”

This shared sense of not backing down was the spark the team needed, and the second half became Ramapo’s turn for some offensive gameplay. They scored two quick goals, the first coming from junior Teresa Gustafson and the second from Hughes. Though the Dolphins answered with two goals of their own, those were the last goals they would score in the half, bringing the score to 8-5.

Ramapo’s offense refused to be stopped yet again, and after Mount Saint Vincent’s last offensive strike, the Roadrunners took the game and ran with it. It all started when Schmidt scored her second goal of the game, bringing Ramapo’s total up to six. Sophomore Taylor Jade Nicolas quickly followed, finding the back of the net for goal number seven, and rookie Lacey Gruendling tied the score with six minutes left of play. The Roadrunners continued their dominance and finished the comeback with two more goals by Hughes, ending the game with a final score of 10-8.

This win provided the confidence booster the girls needed and are hoping to sustain for upcoming games. It was the moment they have been waiting for.

“We know we can do it, now we just have to do it again,” said Lawrence.

They hope this win is the first of many, and plan on more victories to come, keeping in mind the mantra Koeniges them: “We’ve proved we can do it, and we’re not stopping here.”

kshea1@ramapo.edu