Ramapo’s women’s lacrosse team put up another fight against The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), falling 21-2 against the undefeated Lions on Wednesday, April 16. The Roadrunners now hold a 5-6 overall and a 0-3 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference.
The Lions started off the game roaring, with Marissa Lucca scoring within the first minute of the game, assisted by Ally Tobler. TCNJ continued strong, with seven goals against the Roadrunners in the first quarter, and Ava Steinmetz scoring with 29 seconds left in the first assisted by Abbie Teefy.
Sophomore goalie Daniella Indomenico made three saves at net in the first quarter.
The Lions scored five more goals in the second quarter, Tobler starting off in the first minute, followed by Lucca, Steinmetz and Veronica Campbell. However, the 12-0 lead was interrupted by junior Erin Smeilus slamming a goal into the back of the Lions’ net, assisted by Esme Espinosa. The Lions claimed three more goals by Tobler, Lucca and Campbell to end the second quarter as they went into halftime up, 17-1.
The Roadrunners fought hard in the third, only letting up two goals from the Lions, with Campbell and CJ Kole both assisted by Gabriella Roosa.
Ramapo earned their final goal with Smeilus netting her second goal of the match, once again assisted by Espinosa.
In the fourth quarter, TCNJ added four more goals by Kole, Tobler, Campbell and Kayla Niederberg. The Lions ended the game with a 21-2 victory over the Roadrunners.
“It was a challenging game, they are a very strong team,” sophomore defender Kaitlin Schettino said.
Ramapo’s juniors Leah Whitney and Bethany Glaser, as well as senior Lauren Travaglini each earned three caused turnovers in the game. Travaglini also added three ground balls and three draw controls to the game.
Wednesday’s game was dedicated to Morgan Rogers, a beloved Division I lacrosse player who lost her life to suicide following a career-damaging injury.
“Morgan’s Message” is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that “strives to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health within the student-athlete community and equalize the treatment of physical and mental health in athletics.”
The team played for a bigger purpose on Wednesday and dedicated the game to “Morgan’s Message,” showing the commitment to destigmatizing mental illness in athletes. Schettino thought it was a beautiful way to encourage athletes to practice mental health.
“This was a very important game for us since mental health is a big concern among athletes and we take it seriously,” Schettino said.
The Roadrunners will play their final regular season game on Saturday, April 26 when they hit the road, traveling to Stockton University for a 1 p.m. in conference action.
oparisi@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @Tessapofahlphotos, Instagram
