April 03, 2010

WAGNER PULLS OFF COMEBACK WIN OVER BULLDOGS IN DOUBLE-OVERTIME THRILLER, 15-14, SATURDAY AFTERNOON

Boxscore

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Bryant University women's lacrosse sophomore Lauren Sheridan (Bethpage, N.Y.) scored the equalizer with 7.5 seconds to play in the first overtime period, but Carolyn Clark's tally just 44 seconds into the second extra frame would win the game for visiting Wagner College in sudden-victory double overtime, 15-14, Saturday afternoon at Bulldog Stadium.

Clark's free position goal was just the second shot of the second overtime period and came only 22 seconds after a big save from Bulldog goalie Lauren Filippone (West Babylon, N.Y.) had kept the score knotted at 14-14. The tally, Clark's fourth of the game, completed the come-from-behind victory for the Seahawks (3-8, 2-3 Northeast Conference).

With five minutes left to play in regulation, it seemed all the Bulldogs (2-9, 2-3 NEC) had to do was hold on to their three-goal 12-9 lead. But Wagner's Erika Bulken closed the gap to two with 5:08 still to play on an unassisted goal, and Teri Noll's third score of the game made it just a one-goal affair with 4:16 left on the clock.

Annie O'Connor wouldn't keep the Seahawks waiting long for the equalizer, taking a pass from Lauren Petrik with 2:08 to play and sending it home to knot the score at 12-12, forcing extra time – the first overtime situation of the season for the home Bulldogs.

Wagner would take all the momentum entering the six-minute extra frame, and the Seahawks scored a pair of quick goals in the first three minutes to complete an uninterrupted five-goal stretch that spanned regulation and overtime.

Bryant senior captain Alli Faiola (Billerica, Mass.) cut the visitors' lead in half with 2:05 to play off a free position shot to make the score 14-13 in Wagner's favor, setting up Sheridan's game-tying tally with just 7.5 ticks left in the first overtime period.

After a near turnover right in front of the Wagner crease as the seconds ticked away, Sheridan emerged from the scrum with the ground ball in her stick, making a quick run to the right of the cage and firing a hard shot past the knees of Seahawk netminder Alex Johnston.

The score would stay knotted at 14-14 as the whistle blew, ending the first overtime and sending the teams into a second overtime session – this one a sudden victory period.

It wouldn't be a long-lived frame, though, as Clark's free position goal ended the game just 44 seconds into the second extra session for the 15-14 double-overtime Wagner win.

But it was the Seahawks who seemed to start off the game with the momentum, taking a 3-0 edge over the home side before allowing the Bulldogs on the board with a Meg Atha (Valley Cottage, N.Y.) goal with 16:13 showing in the first half.

Bryant would bring the score back to even by the 10-minute mark, thanks to scores from senior Eliza DeMarseilles (Branford, Conn.) and another Atha tally.

Neither team would lead by more than two goals over the next 15:50, a stretch that spanned halftime and into the second frame, and the Bulldogs took their first lead of the day, 8-7, less than five minutes into the second half off a Kayla Manzi (Agawam, Mass.) free position goal.

But the Seahawks would climb back in it, knotting the game for a fourth time, 9-9, with 18:16 still to play. From there, though, the Black and Gold would score a trio of consecutive unassisted goals – coming from Sheridan, Atha and Antoinette Lombardi (Wallingford, Conn.) – for the 12-9 advantage, setting up the Wagner comeback and the double-overtime thriller finish.

Clark and Noll each scored four goals to lead the Seahawks while Noll's five-point day tied a game high. Atha would collect a quartet of tallies for the second-straight contest to pace the Bulldogs, while Manzi's five-point outing off two goals and three helpers tied Noll as a contest best.

For Bryant, Manzi, Lombardi, Sheridan and DeMarseilles would all record two-goal outings, while Faiola picked up one score. Sheridan added an assist to go along with Manzi's trio of dishes.

Wagner outshot Bryant, 40-31, on the day and picked up two more ground balls, 28-26. The Bulldogs won the draw control battle, 18-15, while both teams were strong on their clear attempts, each side missing just three. The squads combined for a whopping 23 free position shots, with the Seahawks connecting on 6-of-13 and Bryant converting 4-of-10.

Filippone recorded 12 stops between the pipes for the home side, including five in each of the regulation sessions, while Johnston collected seven saves for the Seahawks.

Bryant returns to the field on Tuesday night (April 3), hosting crosstown rival Brown in a 7 p.m. matchup at the Bryant Turf Complex.