A New No. 1? 'Hurst Rattles Rams
from press release
ERIE, Pa. -- The sixth-ranked Mercyhurst College women's
lacrosse team picked up its marquee win of the season Saturday
afternoon, as the Lakers rallied from five goals down to top No.
1-ranked and defending national champion West Chester, 11-9, in a
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference cross-over contest at Tullio
Field.
The Lakers, winners of seven straight, improve to 7-0 on the
season while West Chester falls to 6-1, suffering its first loss
since March 9, 2008 when Limestone pinned a 9-8 setback on the
Golden Rams.
Sophomore Kimberly Masterton and senior Breanna
Haggerty combined for seven scores in the win. Masterton
tallied four goals and added an assist while Haggerty tacked in a
hat-trick. Both players have recorded at least one goal in each
game this season. Junior Kristie Jennings and
seniorJessie Horeth scored two goals apiece while
seniors Alicia Guzzo andKristen Toomey rounded out
the offense with assists.
Boasting the fourth-ranked scoring offense in the country, West
Chester lived up to its reputation with five straight goals to open
the game. The Golden Rams converted two free-position attempts and
struck paydirt four times within a two minute and 30 second
span.
After a Mercyhurst timeout to slow the game down, the Lakers
turned the tables on the top-ranked Golden Rams, finding the back
of net four times and holding them scoreless through the remainder
of the frame. Jennings started the four-goal run with a marker at
13:51 before Masterton single-handily took over the scoring duties.
Masterton scored three times in the final 12 minutes to help the
Lakers take a 5-4 deficit into halftime.
Following the break, Haggerty added back-to-back scores to give
Mercyhurst its first lead of the game at 6-5.
West Chester bounced back though, scoring three goals over the
next 10 minutes to take a brief 8-6 advantage. It would be Golden
Rams last lead of the game as the Lakers started to take back the
momentum. Mercyhurst outscored West Chester, 5-1, over the last 12
minutes and six seconds of the game. Goals by Horeth, Jennings and
Masterton tied the game nearing the 10-minute mark, while a third
from Haggerty at 6:36 eventually sealed it. Horeth closed out the
game with her second of the afternoon at 5:49.
Junior Maeve McGoff shined in the victory, turning aside
12 shots, including several on point blank opportunities, to move
her record to 7-0. West Chester finished the game with a 31-30 edge
in shots.
Mercyhurst will look to stay unbeaten when Bloomsburg comes to
town on Sunday, March 29, for a 3 p.m. contest at Tullio Field. The
Lakers are currently riding a three-game winning streak against
Huskies dating back to the 2006 season.
Notes: The Lakers victory today was their
first over West Chester in program history...Mercyhurst athletic
teams are 2-0 against No. 1-ranked teams at Tullio Field this
season. Head coach Stacey Gaudette's field hockey squad
defeated then-No. 1 IUP, 2-1, back in October...West Chester's
winning streak spanned 26 games and 384 days...Mercyhurst's 11
goals scored were the most by any West Chester opponent since C.W.
Post scored 12 against them in the national championship game last
season...Head coach Cecil C. Pilson is 2-0 against top-5 opponents
this season.
