With time winding down in the first quarter, Springfield College women’s lacrosse was only up by a goal against Endicott. The momentum had shifted away from the Pride as the quarter ended — but was gained within a flash.
After Springfield scored off of a draw control, with Lily Johnson finding a streaking Maddie Roy, who ripped a shot right past the goalkeeper, the sideline was rejuvenated, including Head Coach Jenn Thomas.
“That was (Roy’s) 100th career point,” Thomas said. “She brings so much energy to our team; when she gets hyped, so does the whole team.”
Roy finished the game with two goals and an assist as the score ultimately went a long way for the Pride, as they won 13-8 in a wire-to-wire performance.
Johnson opened up the scoring for Springfield, turning around and putting a shot on the back of the net, followed by a Samantha Andresen’s high-to-low goal. After allowing a goal, Izzy Lalancette attempted to get it back around the crease but was tripped hard by three defenders and fell. She eventually got up and capitalized on a free position shot.
The Gulls kept it close in the first quarter, but Roy’s 100th point early in the second quarter, which put her team up 6-3, was a considerable boost. The Pride didn’t allow a goal for the next 27 minutes of play, backed by goalkeeper Kate Laico, who started the season completing Springfield’s first non-conference shutout in over 30 years. Even without a top defenseman in Hannah Hibert, Thomas loved the play from her anchors.
Abby Taylor, Kyana Alvarado and Lyndsey DeLasho all contributed massively to a stellar defensive outing, as they caused seven turnovers and forced Endicott into a total of 15 giveaways.
“They all stepped up for us big time,” Thomas said. “Having so many seniors and grad students on the defensive side helps, and their leadership on the field was great today.”
Sarah Newton and Lilly Vey made the lead five with free position shots, and first-year Molly Forrest quickly shook off her defender as a long, unsettling possession ended in her sniping a goal.
Surprisingly, eight of the day’s 13 goals for Springfield came from free position opportunities. The Pride entered today As a bottom 20 free position team in division three with a percentage of only 21.4 but went an outstanding eight for nine on Saturday. Thomas feels she can get even more production from her offense.
“We need more balls in the back of the net,” Thomas said. “We just need more points on the board, especially in these coming games, and I believe we will.”
Endicott was no slouch. They started their season with a big-time win over No. 18 MIT, and Thomas knew they would have to play a full 60 minutes to snag a victory.
“Overall, this was a great game for us,” Thomas said. “ We knew we had to come out strong, and we did.”
Roy and Liz Neri had free position goals in the fourth quarter to give insurance for Springfield as they let up four goals, but Laico still had 12 saves and held on to the lead until the clock hit triple zero. Springfield also saw good production in the draw control category, having four more than Endicott, which led to multiple scores.
Springfield’s path doesn’t get much easier, as they will face No. 15 Trinity (Conn.) on Wednesday night at Stagg Field.