Lacrosse Takes Down Springfield in Double Overtime Thriller, 12-11

Game Statistics

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (April 13, 2010) – Senior midfielder Peggy Wefald found the back of the net 2:40 into the second overtime period to push the Mount Holyoke College women’s lacrosse team to a thrilling 12-11 triumph over New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) foe Springfield College this evening at Stagg Field. It was the Lyons second win in a row and their first over the Pride since the 2000 season.

Wefald finished the game with five goals and two assists. It was the sixth game in a row that she has registered five goals or more. Mount Holyoke also received a boost from classmate Perry Markell and junior attacker Clara Raugei, who notched hat tricks. Wefald and Markell collected five draw controls apiece for the Lyons, who entered the contest as the national leaders in the category.

Sophomore midfielder Jackie Moscardelli totaled four goals and one assist to lead the way for Springfield. The Pride also received solid production from senior attacker Jenn Zubkus, junior attacker Nicole Soucie and senior midfielder Alexandra Bazzano, who collected two goals each.

After falling behind 6-2 in the early going, Mount Holyoke ran off four straight goals to knot things up at 6-6 at the 9:35 mark of the opening frame. Wefald tallied twice during the rally, which spanned 4:14. A free position goal by Soucie halted the run five minutes later and gave the Pride a 7-6 advantage at the break.

The Lyons grabbed a 9-8 advantage 8:27 into the second stanza, when Markell found the net for her third goal of the night. They then extended their cushion to 10-8 at the 16:48 mark on a free position goal by Wefald.

Refusing to go away, Springfield closed out regulation with a pair of unanswered tallies. Zubkus scored the first at the 13:11 mark, and Moscardelli tied things up at 10-10 less than two minutes later. Both sides went scoreless over the final 11:29 of the second half.

The Pride gained an 11-10 edge 4:01 into the first overtime session, when Soucie scored off a feed from Erin Doolan. Not to be outdone, Wefald once again had an answer. The midfielder poured in her fourth goal of the night on free position shot with just eight seconds left. Her dramatic goal knotted things up at 11-11 and sent the contest to a second overtime.

Wefald then netted the winner on another free position opportunity 2:40 into the second overtime. It was her third winner of the season and fifth of her storied career.

Springfield (6-4, 2-2 NEWMAC) fell despite finishing with advantages in shots (32-29), draw controls (15-12) and ground balls (24-18). The Pride had defeated the Lyons in each of the previous 12 meetings between the programs.

Mount Holyoke sophomore goalkeeper Jeanmarie Petersen made a career best 17 saves en route to her seventh win of the year. At the other end, senior Lauren McAulay turned away 10 shots for the hosts.

Mount Holyoke (7-4, 2-2 NEWMAC) will return to action on Saturday, when it travels to MIT for a league game beginning at 1:00 p.m. The Lyons final home game of the year will be next Tuesday versus longtime rival Smith College at 7:00 p.m.