ASTON, Pa. - The Neumann University women's lacrosse team won in thrilling fashion on Thursday afternoon, coming back from a six-goal deficit to defeat visiting Wilkes University by a score of 11-10 in non-conference action.
Lindsey Fagan was the difference maker for Neumann on the day with six goals.
Alison Mallon (1 g, 2 a) and
Reilly Fiedler (2 g, 1 a) each recorded three points in the win, while
Jayana Murray recorded two goals.
Catriona Corrigan got the start in goal, making 12 saves on the afternoon.
Neumann would struggle mightily in the opening quarter, falling behind 3-0 within the first six minutes. The Knights' attack stalled throughout the entire quarter as the team generated just two shots in the frame. The hosts would be shut out in the period as Wilkes took the three-goal advantage into the second.
The Colonels continued to dominate the contest early in the second stanza, tallying twice more in the opening 4:04 to extend their lead 5-0. Fagan finally got the Knights on the board at the 8:44 mark, but two more Wilkes goals midway through the period gave the visitors their largest lead of the game at 7-1 with 4:42 left to play. Fiedler gave Neumann a bit of life late with a man-up marker via a free position attempt with 1:10 left in the half, but the Knights trailed by five at 7-2 heading to the halftime intermission.
Using the break to regroup, Neumann started the third quarter on fire. The Knights scored three unanswered goals in the opening 6:19 of the period to cut the deficit to just two at 7-5. Fagan tallied twice in the three goal run, while Fiedler added her second goal of the day. The two teams traded a pair of goals midway through the frame as Murray scored her first of the day to make it 8-6 with 4:39 remaining in the third. However, that was as close as the Knights would get in the quarter as pair of goals from the Colonels late in the frame took the wind out of the hosts as the game moved to the fourth with the score 10-6.
Fighting an uphill battle into the last 15 minutes of the contest, Neumann would not quit. The Knights played a spirited final frame, dominating the Colonels as they worked their way back into the match one goal at a time. Murray lowered the lead to three at 10-7 with 9:01 remaining, but five minutes would go by before the visitors could create any more offense.
Things looked bleak as the three goal deficit remained with under five minutes left in the game, but the never-say-die Knights found a way to fight their way back. Fagan was unstoppable in the final minutes, scoring twice in a minute span to bring Neumann back to within a goal with 3:12 to go in the matchup. Using several successful draw controls to their advantage, the Knights kept rolling a minute later, as Mallon turned around a defender and ripped home the tying goal with 2:38 left to play to make it 10-10 and set the stage for a frenetic final few minutes.
The Colonels won the ensuing draw and had two chances to take the lead, but stellar goaltending from Corrigan kept the game tied and allowed Neumann a chance to win the game in the final minute. The Knights took a timeout in the Wilkes end and let their star sophomore attacker go to work once again. Fagan beat her defender and sprinted around the crease before drawing a free position attempt with just 22 seconds remaining in the contest. With the game on her stick on the free-position effort, the sophomore standout sniped home the game-winner past a shell-shocked Wilkes goaltender to bring the Knights back from the dead to lead for the first time 11-10. Neumann corralled the draw control seconds later through Murray, and killed off the remaining time on the clock to clinch the massive come-from-behind victory.
Neumann (5-3) will look to carry momentum from the win into its next game on Wednesday, March 30th at Swarthmore College. The game is scheduled for 5:30 PM.
