SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (March 11, 2011) – First year attacker Liz Randolph found the back of the net 20 seconds into the second overtime period to push the Mount Holyoke College women's lacrosse team to a thrilling 12-11 triumph over Westfield State University this evening at Golden Bear Stadium.
It was the Lyons' first win of the 2011 campaign. They are now perfect in three all-time meetings against the Owls. The game was originally scheduled to be played in Westfield but was shifted to Western New England College due to unplayable field conditions.
Randolph finished the night with four goals to increase her season total to eight. Mount Holyoke also received solid production from junior attacker Alex Crean and senior midfielder Georgia Markell, who recorded two goals apiece. Senior midfielder Vika Planson added a goal and an assist.
Westfield State (1-1, 0-0 NEWLA) was paced by sophomore attacker Maura Stack, who totaled three goals and two assists. Junior midfielder Carly Keeley lso enjoyed a productive evening, scoring four times. Meanwhile, senior attacker Laura Chiricosta contributed two goals for the Owls.
After falling behind 4-2 in the early going, Westfield State exploded for six straight goals over a span of nine minutes to gain control of the contest. Keeley tallied three of her four goals during the run, while Stack added a pair. Chiricosta closed out the spurt at the 1:46 mark of the first half, giving the Owls an 8-4 advantage.
Mount Holyoke responded with back-to-back goals to slice the deficit to 8-6 at the break. Randolph stopped the bleeding with 1:32 remaining in the opening period, and Markell scored her second goal 12 seconds later.
The Lyons continued to chip away in the early stages of the second stanza before eventually knotting things up at 9-9 on another Randolph tally at the 13:47 mark. They trailed 11-10 in the waning minutes, but junior attacker Hilary Bombard scored a free position goal with just over two minutes remaining in regulation to send the contest to overtime.
Randolph netted the winner 20 seconds into the second extra session. After gaining control of the ball in the midfield, the first year sprinted downfield and beat sophomore goalkeeper Jill Robinson. It was her first career winner.
Mount Holyoke was outshot 26-17 but finished with a 17-10 edge in draw controls. The Lyons secured all three draw controls in the overtime periods. Sophomore Jamie Theophilos came off the bench to make four saves en route to her first collegiate win. She entered the game after the Owls had taken a 7-4 lead with 3:28 remaining in the first half. At the other end, Robinson turned away four shots for the Owls.
The Lyons (1-2, 0-0 NEWMAC) will kick off their spring break trip versus Concordia College next Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. They will take on the University of New England the following day at 7:00 p.m. Both contests will be hosted by McDaniel College in Westminster, Md.
