By Christopher McLaughlin
The Blue Devils fought and scrapped until the end, but the CCSU women’s lacrosse team was defeated on senior day 11 to 10 by Sacred Heart University.
Both teams battled hard, in what was a back and forth game. The Blue Devils (6-7) led for much of the second half, but couldn’t hold on. SHU (3-9) went up one with three minutes left, and won the crucial draw-control to take possession and drain the clock.
CCSU pulled its goalie, trying to bate SHU into scoring and giving up its possession, but the Pioneers didn’t bite. SHU controlled the ball for most of the remaining time, but the Blue Devils managed to force a turnover with 15 seconds left. CCSU quickly got the ball down field as the final seconds ticked. Lyndsey Mastandrea made it to the crease and got a shot off, but Sacred Heart goalie Megan Pepe stayed in front of it, making the save and preventing the miracle comeback.
“It’s tough,” said Head Coach Rachael Tringali. “We didn’t make many mistakes so the ones we did make were amplified. I’m proud of them though, they battled all game and never gave up. This was just a very tough loss.”
Before the start of the game, the Blue Devils seniors, Mastandrea, Michele Conway, Kacey Bisinenere, Lauren Cantor, Jessica Roberts and team manager Angela Limosani, were all honored at midfield. Once the presentation was over, the game got underway.
While emotions were high for the Blue Devils, SHU got out to a quick 3-0 lead. However, The Blue Devils, led by Michele Conway, were able to erase the deficit quickly. Conway scored two straight goals to get CCSU rolling, and picked up the assist on Betsy Vendal‘s game tying goal. Conway finished with three goals and an assist.
“Michele really stepped up,” said Tringali. “She’s a senior captain, she’s the type of kid who is going to play hard no matter the situation. She does all the small things that need to be done and she does them consistently.”
Despite CCSU’s new found momentum, the Pioneers were able to get its offense going again. The Pioneers responded with two straight, unaswered goals, giving them the lead midway through the first half. While SHU continued to pressure the Blue Devils on offense, the team was unable to score the third straight. After a successful clear attempt for CCSU, the Blue Devils were able to set up settle into their own offense. A goal by Cara Momnie cut the lead to one, and a quick goal by Mastandrea tied it.
“I’m proud of them, we went down three and didn’t panic and then they had another run and we were able to tie it again. It was just the bad breaks that ended up costing us,” said Tringali.
The Blue Devils took a quick lead on Meghan McCurry’s first of three goals, to start the second half, before SHU quickly tied it. CCSU won the draw-control, and took it straight down field and scored. SHU followed up with another fast goal, but then CCSU went on a run. The Blue Devils scored three unanswered goals, giving them a lead with 13 minutes left.
SHU wasn’t about to go quietly however, and went on a run of their own. The Pioneers scored four straight goals, including a game tying goal off of a turnover by the goalie. With the lead in hand, SHU drained enough of the clock to only give CCSU on last ditch shot. The Blue Devils were unable to capitalize, and senior day ended in defeat.
“The girls played hard but I guess the lead wasn’t big enough or there was too much time left,” said Tringali. “They were gaining momentum and when they tied it, it deflated us. Erin was cradling the ball and it popped out and their kid scooped it in. Then, after they took the lead, I pulled Erin to give us another defender, but we couldn’t score in the end.”
Though this was the last home game for CCSU, the season isn’t over. The Blue Devils are still fighting for a spot in the Northeast Conference Tournament, and will go on the road for the final three games.
“For us right now the goal is to win out,” said Tringali. “We have three games left, and we are trying to win the most NEC games in our history and to finish with a winning record.”
