Photo Courtesy of Susquehanna Athletics
By Ashley Nace
History repeated itself for the Susquehanna University Women’s Lacrosse team as they beat Drew 12-7 in the opening round of Landmark Conference playoffs on Saturday at Sassafras Multipurpose Field.
The River Hawks beat the Rangers 12-7 in the regular season as well. However, with the post season being “win or go home,” the River Hawks advance to the semifinals where they will take on Scranton.
“I mean going into this game like, our whole motto was, ‘Let’s have practice on Monday,’” said senior Abby Andrus for the River Hawks. “And now we have practice on Monday.”
The first quarter kept a close game between the teams. A very defensive start on both ends turned into the first shot on net coming nearly four minutes into play.
Drew scored first at 10:32. Shortly after, a foul by the River Hawks gave the Rangers a free position shot which they made, handing them an early 2-0 lead.
Susquehanna struggled to get the ball to Drew’s side of the field, as several turnovers and unsuccessful clears gave the Rangers opportunities and the River Hawks none.
At the four-minute mark, junior Jessica Russo finally put the first goal in for Susquehanna, getting the River Hawks on the board.
The River Hawks’ goaltender Aerin O’Brien made a couple of good saves to keep the score tight until junior Sophia Trively raced to net for a solo goal with 30 seconds remaining.
With the effort, focus, and intensity high, the River Hawks were able to keep a close 2-2 score going into the second quarter.
“I think everyone gave it their all,” said Andrus.
The second quarter saw many cards for both teams. Drew started the quarter with a green card after 45 seconds. Being a man-up, Andrus was able to score a goal assisted by Russo to give Susquehanna the lead.
Sophomore Sloane Coddington got a free position attempt after a Ranger’s yellow card that resulted in a goal. Still a man-up from the yellow, Russo was able to score another goal assisted by Andrus.
A turnover on the River Hawks let the Rangers score.
After an aggressive play on the field, both O’Brien and a Ranger received yellow cards, bringing Maggie Patterson into the net for Susquehanna.
Andrus took to the Rangers’ net and, after ripping a shot high, followed it up with a goal assisted by junior Waverly Oake-Libow with under three minutes to go.
Sophomore Makaela Larkin earned a goal assisted by Russo with 1:53 to play, but the Rangers came back for one final goal off a turnover to bring the score at half to 7-4.
As the River Hawks finally settled into the game, Andrus said that they realized the Rangers were playing them differently than last time.
“So there’s like, stakes are way higher, and they’re also face guarding me,” she said.
Regardless, the River Hawks adjusted, and Andrus, along with her fellow teammates, were still able to come out with more goals.
Coddington got the third started with a goal at 13:40. The Rangers also came out on fire though, as O’Brien saw her busiest quarter in net, tallying up six saves.
After several spirited attacks by the Rangers, the River Hawks finally cleared the ball and, through much patience and passing, worked around the Drew defense for a goal by Abby DiComes assisted by Oake-Libow.
A quick counter gave the Rangers a 2v2 on net that they scored. First-year Maggie McDermott came back two minutes later for a solo goal after running through the Rangers defense.
A jumbled play at Susquehanna’s net ensued after a Drew free position shot was blocked and picked up by the River Hawks. But the River Hawks turned the ball back over next to their net, and with O’Brien rushing back to goal, the Rangers passed it to a player for an open shot that went in.
Entering the third, the score board flashed 10-6. The River Hawks were still in the lead with one quarter left.
“We had a couple hiccups in the third, fourth quarter and we got together as a team and were like, we need to just take a deep breath and connect,” said Andrus. “And we did.”
The first shot of the quarter came for the River Hawks at 13:47 after a yellow card foul on Drew, but it missed.
The first goal finally came at 8:46 for Drew on a quick counterattack and pass to a wide-open Ranger in front of the net.
The River Hawks defense ran the Rangers’ shot clock down for a clock violation and turned it into a goal for Andrus assisted by Oake-Libow.
A few more shots for the River Hawks came before the quarter ended, but just when it was thought to be over, the Rangers lost the ball right in front of their own net.
The River Hawks picked it up, and Andrus scored with 21 seconds to go, securing the 12-7 win for Susquehanna and sending them to the semifinals.
“I think we’re pumped,” said Andrus about moving on. “We just have to connect and try our hardest and we can pull it through.”
Andrus was the leading scoring for the day with four goals, while Oake-Libow counted three assists and O’Brien made 10 saves.
The River Hawks will make their way to Scranton to play for more days in the semifinal round of the Landmark Conference Championships Wednesday, April 29.