Lacrosse Blanked by Nationally Ranked NJAC Rival TCNJ

Tuesday’s game against the number four nationally ranked The College of New Jersey could be seen as a measuring stick game for the Ramapo women’s lacrosse team.

The Roadrunners were shut out 19-0 in their first New Jersey Athletic Conference game of the season by the Lions, but Ramapo head coach Jane Koeniges said that the game was a learning experience.

“It’s a great measuring tool for us, but it’s also a great learning experience for us and a great way to push ourselves,” Koeniges said. “I think we embraced the opportunity.”

The Lions extended their winning streak to nine games to start the season with the win. This was also their second shutout in two games.

Ramapo was outshot in the game 28-0. Koeniges said that her team was out possessed in the game and that they would have liked to generate more offensively.

“I think more attack and possession would have helped even things out,” she said. “When we had those opportunities, I would like to see us have a better look and control the attack.”

TCNJ jumped out to an early lead, scoring seven goals in the first six minutes of the game. Eight different Lions scored in the game, with junior Ava Fitzgerald leading the team at six.

Senior Lauren Pigott had four goals and two assists, and senior Jen Garavente had three goals and five assists for TCNJ.

Koeniges said the team will take this game and use it as a lesson to help them navigate the rest of the season.

“We have to be better coming off the field than we were coming onto the field. Some of these freshmen have never seen a top NJAC team,” Koeniges said. “This is how we have to build this program and get it going toward the right direction. If we didn’t learn anything, then it’s a total loss.”

The Roadrunners will look to use a stretch of three upcoming non-conference games to build momentum for the rest of the season. Ramapo will play Mount St. Mary, Western Connecticut and Drew University over the week.

They will then play the last five games of the regular season against NJAC opponents, starting with Rutgers-Camden on April 12 in an attempt to qualify for the NJAC tournament for the first time in team history.

The Roadrunners are part of the very competitive NJAC. TCNJ is the only nationally ranked team, but Montclair has also gone 9-0 overall so far this season. The only team with a overall record below .500 is Rutgers-Camden at 2-6.

Ramapo is currently 3-2 overall, but the program has more potential with younger players leading the way than in years past.

“A lot of the non-league games were kind of to help us prepare for NJAC competition,” Koeniges said. “We’re just going to take each game as it comes.”

mmontal1@ramapo.edu