CLERMONT, Fla. – Freshman midfielder
Christina Ryan (Franklin Square, N.Y.) scored the first goal of the extra period, and sophomore attacker
Katie Gattoni (Old Tappan, N.J.) scored what proved to be the game-winner, as the Mount Saint Mary College women's lacrosse team (2-1) pulled off a 13-12 victory over St. Vincent College (0-2) Thursday morning at the National Training Center in the final game of the Knights' spring break trip.
The Knights stormed back into the game by outscoring the Bearcats, 8-5, in the second half. Ryan scored just 26 seconds into overtime, and Gattoni followed it up 23 seconds later to put the Knights up, 13-11. Amie Dobracki scored for the Bearcats with 3:09 to play, but after switching sides at the three-minute mark in overtime, neither team scored again.
Gattoni had another outstanding game, scoring five times to improve her three-game season total to 14. She added an assist on Ryan's overtime goal for a six-point game. Ryan scored twice, and assisted Gattoni's winner for three points. Gattoni also tied for the game lead with five ground balls.
Freshman attacker
Jennifer Bones (Camden, Del.) opened the game with a goal as the 27:11 mark to put the Knights up, 1-0. Natalie Ambrozic and Maggie Nelson scored back-to-back goals just 14 seconds apart for the Bearcats to give them the lead, but Gattoni responded with back-to-back goals over her own to put the Knights back on top.
After Gattoni's scores, St. Vincent when on a four-goal run to close out the first half, keeping the Knights off the board for the final 20 minutes before halftime to take a 6-3 lead.
Junior attacker
Shannon McGuinness (Oceanside, N.Y.) got the Knights on the board first in the second frame, followed by Gattoni's third of the day to get the Knights within one. Sarah Wallerstedt then scored a man-down goal for the Bearcats, but Bones and junior midfielder
Nicole Scicutella (Massapequa, N.Y.) scored the next two to tie the game at 7-7 with 19:56 to play.
St. Vincent took the lead again on Nelson's second, but sophomore midfielder
Kayla Goman (Greenwich, N.Y.) tied the game 44 seconds later. Nelson quickly retaliated with a goal just 11 seconds after Goman's, and then Wallerstedt tallied her fourth to give St. Vincent a two-goal advantage with 15:31 to play.
After seven minutes without a goal, Bones completed her hat trick with a man-up score at the 8:46 mark to get the Knights back within a goal. Gattoni scored a man-down goal less than two minutes later to tie the game at 10, and Ryan scored her first with 5:50 to play to put the Knights up, 11-10. Nelson scored again with 4:07 to play to tie the game at 11-11, which is how it remained until the end of regulation.
After taking over in the second half, freshman goalkeeper
Carly Lennon (24) made one save and allowed six goals, but manage to hold on to pick up her first victory and move to 1-1 on the year. Michelle Mitchell made 13 stops, but allowed 13 goals to suffer the loss for the Bearcats.
Bones earned her first career hat trick with three goals on the morning. Junior defender
Claire Duffy (Monroe, N.Y.) and sophomore attacker
Fae Kuhnen (Bayside, N.Y.) matched Gattoni with five ground balls on the day. Scicutella scooped up a team-high six draw controls.
Nelson and Wallerstedt each tallied four goals for the Bearcats, while Ambrozic scored three times. Nelson added an assist for a five-point day. Dobracki and McMillen each picked up five ground balls, and Nelson grabbed a game-high seven draw controls.
The Knights outshot the Bearcats, 36-21, including a 26-18 edge in shots on net. Mount Saint Mary also led with 40 ground balls compared to just 25 for St. Vincent. The Knights attempted just seven clears, succeeding on six of them. St. Vincent was good on all 16 clear attempts in the game.
Unfortunately for the Knights, they will now leave the warmth of Florida and return to New York to continue their season in the cooler weather. They will next play on Saturday, March 7, as they take on Vassar College at Marist College's lacrosse field. The opening draw is set for 5 p.m.
Follow the Knights on Twitter at
@MSMCKnights and the women's lacrosse team at
@MSMC_WLax
