Photo By Michael Lipscomb
By Darin Martin
The women’s lacrosse team secured a spot in the Landmark Conference tournament with a dominant 14-7 win over Elizabethtown on Saturday at Sassafras Field.
Before the game, the team’s five seniors — Liv Owen, Emma Kelleher, Chloe Pappalardo, Nicolette Genovese and Allie Kutler — were honored, and each played a role in Susquehanna’s (8-9 overall, 5-4 Landmark) victory.
The River Hawks knew the importance of the game heading into it, as the fifth seed in the Landmark tournament was on the line.
They responded by getting off to a quick start, with Owen opening the scoring at the 13:11 mark in the first quarter. She added two more goals in quick succession, helping Susquehanna race out to an early three-goal lead.
It was the start of an 8-point day for the senior on Senior Day, as she added five assists to become only the third player in Susquehanna history to record 40 or more assists in a season.
“It feels really good. I like being a part of the offense, so I try to make myself as useful as possible,” Owen said.
Junior Abby Andrus recorded a season-high six goals, netting her first two in the first quarter before assisting Kutler to record her 100th career point and give the River Hawks a six-goal cushion after the first quarter.
From there, the River Hawks were able to control the game. Even when Elizabethtown (9-7, 4-5) cut the lead to four, Andrus and Kelleher each netted one to keep the Blue Jays at bay.
Junior Aerin O’Brien kept up her strong form, recording 14 saves, bringing her closer to the 400-save milestone with a career total of 398.
Andrus felt that the River Hawks’ preparation was key to the outcome of the match.
“We practiced for a few days that we were facing a lefty goalie,” she said. “We don’t face a lot of lefty goalies, so we focused on that top-right corner, and it was really successful today.”
Andrus is already looking ahead to the playoffs, stating, “I think we started a little slow, and we are ramping it up now that the playoffs are close. Now that we clinched [the fifth seed], I think we have a really good game ahead of us.”
“These seniors worked very hard and contributed heavily on the field for all of their four seasons with us, which makes this last home win a very special one.” SU coach Randall Swope said.
The River Hawks now travel to Moravian with momentum on their side, looking to redeem themselves after a tough loss earlier in the season.
“This win proves how much this team has grown over the season,” Swope said. “Being such a decisive win, the confidence built will for sure put us into a very competitive position for playoffs Tuesday.”