The Canisius women's lacrosse team defeated the Quinnipiac Bobcats this afternoon 12-7, guided by a four goal performance from sophomore Lauren Smolensky, moving the Griffs to 5-5 on the year and a perfect 2-0 in MAAC play.
The Golden Griffins have now defeated the Bobcats in each matchup since the team joined the Griffs in the MAAC conference in 2013, going 3-0.
“Although we got the victory, I thought we needed to play more consistent overall and value the ball,” said head coach Scott Teeter. “We're a young team that needs to grow up fast. We need to play more disciplined as we move forward and make sure we're always competing.”
Along with Smolensky, three other Griffs recorded multi-goal games, freshman Jourdan Roemer (3), freshman Tessa Chad (2) and sophomore Allie Stewart (2).
The Blue and Gold recorded the games' first three goals before Quinnipiac answered with two of their own, for a 3-2 score at 7:45 in the first half. The Griffs would respond with a barrage of scoring, going on a 4-0 run in a span of three minute. Each member of the afore mentioned foursome scored a goal during the streak to close out the half at 7-2.
In the second half, Quinnipiac scored two goals in the first four minutes making things close at 7-4. From there, Canisius would go on a 5-1 run, putting the game at a comfortable score of 12-5 with 5:42 remaining. The Bobcats would not go down without a fight however, scoring two goals in the final four minutes for a final score of 12-7.
Also scoring for the Griffs was freshman Brenna Shanahan, who now has three goals on the season.
Sophomore Rebecca VanLaeken made seven saves, while gaining her fifth win of the season. The goalkeeper in now 5-4 in 2016.
Roemer led the team in points, with five, on three goals and two assists, while sophomore Megan Maloney also recorded two assists.
The team will have little time to recover for their next game, as they will take on the Syracuse Orange from the Demske Sports Complex tomorrow at 7 p.m. The game will be the Griffs first ever home contest against Syracuse.
Game Notes: Maloney led the Golden Griffins with three draw controls… Sophomore Erica Evans received two yellow cards early in the game, leaving the contest at 8:24 in the first… The Griffs are now 3-3 all-time against Quinnipiac… Roemer has been a force for the Griffs of late, scoring 10 goals in the team's last three games, recording 14 points during that time… Chad has recorded eight goals during those three games, along with one assist.
