La Salle Beats Monmouth in Triple Overtime
from press release
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J.— Senior Jill Davis scored seven goals to lead the La Salle women's lacrosse team to a 13-12 victory over the Monmouth Hawks in four overtimes in the pouring rain on Friday afternoon.
La Salle extended its winning streak to three consecutive games on Friday, helping move over the .500 mark and improve to 3-2 on the season. In the team’s current three-game winning streak, Davis has a total of 18 points, after also dishing out an assist against Monmouth.
Freshman Melanie Sarcinello added to her impressive rookie start as she totaled for four points, scoring a pair of goals and assists. Also contributing for the Explorers was junior Ashley Rutz, sophomores Nora McGurkin and Rachel Baker and freshman Lauren McDermott.
Three minutes into the game, the Explorers found themselves down by one after Monmouth’s Megan Brennan scored the first goal of the game. La Salle responded with Baker and Davis putting up back-to-back goals to give the Explorers the advantage.
Just after Baker took a yellow card in the first half at the 19:42 mark, Monmouth wasted no time attempting to get back in the contest. Fourteen seconds after Baker was sidelined, Rachel Feirstein scored for the Hawks to knot the game at two.
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Melanie Sarcinello scored two straight goals for the Explorers in a four-minute stretch to return the lead to the Explorers, putting them up 4-2.
After Monmouth made it a one-goal game once again, La Salle increased its lead to a three-goal margin.
Davis added her second goal of the game before Ashley Rutz and Nora McGurkin hooked up for another score that put the Explorers up 6-3.
Right before the end of the first half, Monmouth added two goals to their score in the final 47 seconds to shrink La Salle’s lead back to a one-point advantage.
The two goals Monmouth scored inside the final minute of the opening half was the beginning an eight-goal scoring spree for the Hawks, led by Brennan and Shawn Evans’ three goals a piece during that streak.
Down 11-6, La Salle did not relent to Monmouth’s quick output. McGurkin scored to commence the comeback for the Explorers in the final 8:49.
With less than four minutes left, time seemed to be running out for the Explorers as they still trailed by four goals.
If there was any questions about La Salle making a comeback in this game, Jill Davis apparently had all the answers.
Davis scored her third goal of the game after receiving a pass from Sarcinello with 3:42 remaining. La Salle still feeling pressured by a three-goal deficit with under two minutes remaining, Davis continued to give her teammates a reason to believe by adding another goal at the 1:55 mark to narrow the Hawk’s deficit down to two.
Under a minute remained for the Explorers and the final horn was getting closer. Just when Monmouth felt it was going to pickup its first win of the season, Davis put the Hawk’s intuition in jeopardy. With 37 seconds remaining, Davis tallied her fifth goal of the afternoon to bring the Explorers within only a goal.
After the ensuing draw control, the Explorers had time for one last rush.
La Salle made use of its final possession in the closing seconds.
Davis passed the test of wills for the Explorers by scoring her sixth goal of the afternoon to help La Salle overcome a five-goal deficit and deadlock the game at 11 a piece with 15 ticks of the clock remaining.
What seemed unthinkable at the 8:49 mark of the second half, suddenly become a reality once these two teams were destined for overtime.
Following one scoreless extra session, Monmouth finally ended its scoring drought in the second overtime on Ali Pollock’s goal.
After making the dramatic comeback in regulation, the Explorers were still in pursuit of the victory. Down by a goal with 21 seconds left, Lauren McDermott made sure Monmouth would not escape, as she provided the equalizer for the Explorers.
McDermott’s goal marked the fifth time that the game had been tied.
The Explorers and Hawks went scoreless in the third extra session, but there would only be one more session needed to determine a victor.
In the second sudden-death overtime, La Salle pulled out the hard fought victory when the game-winner was scored by no one other than Jill Davis.
The Explorers will enjoy the dramatic victory for a short time, because of their brief respite before returning to McCarthy Stadium to host the Drexel Dragons, Sunday at 1 p.m.
