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Canisius University Athletics

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10
Canisius CAN 3-7
11
Winner Niagara NIA 4-7
Canisius CAN
3-7
10
Final
11
Niagara NIA
4-7
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 OT F
Canisius CAN 5 3 1 1 0 10
Niagara NIA 1 2 5 2 1 11

Game Recap: Women's Lacrosse |

Women's Lacrosse Falls in Overtime at Niagara

Maddy Gill scored 32 seconds into overtime to complete a six-goal comeback and lift Niagara to an 11-10 victory over Battle of the Bridge rival Canisius in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference women's lacrosse action Saturday at Niagara Field in Lewiston, N.Y.

Michela Delles scored a game-high four goals while Melanie Steigerwald dished out three assists to guide the Purple Eagles (4-7, 2-0 MAAC) attack. Three players - Gill, Abberly Dela Rosa and Avery Olschefskie - all finished with two goals apiece. Haley Terry finished with 10 saves between the pipes for Niagara.  

Four players - senior Hailey Rooney, junior Maggie Tifft and sophomores Ashlyn Dhandwar and Lauren Matyka - notched two goals each for the Golden Griffins (3-7, 0-2 MAAC). Sophomore Olivia Licardi made 15 saves to go with a .577 save percentage.

Gill's overtime winner capped a comeback that saw Niagara rally from a six-goal deficit late in the first half, using a 7-1 run that spanned the majority of the second half to grab a 10-9 lead with less than two minutes to play in regulation. 

Tifft was able to force overtime when she found the back of the net with 41 seconds to play for her second goal of the afternoon. 

In the extra session, Sydney Huhtala won the opening draw for Niagara, allowing the Purple Eagles to work the ball downfield before Gill capitalized on the possession with her 28th goal of the season to complete the comeback.

The first half was all Canisius as the Griffs raced out to an early 4-0 lead before using a 4-1 surge later in the frame to grab an 8-2 advantage with less than four minutes to play in the second quarter.

Gill found the back of the net with 11 seconds to play before the break, trimming the Canisius cushion to five and setting the stage for the Purple Eagles second-half comeback. 

GAME NOTES
• Saturday's game in Lewiston was the 34th all-time meeting between the two programs. 
• Sophomore Maddie Fitzgerald scored one goal on Saturday, growing her consecutive goal-scoring streak to 17 games, dating back to April 3, 2024. Fitzgerald leads the Golden Griffins with 19 goals on season.
• Griffs have lost each of their last three games by a single goal, with the game-winning goal in each game coming in either the final minute of regulation or overtime. 
• Junior Ava Pezzimenti recorded a game high three caused turnovers. The Victor, N.Y., native leads the team with 11 caused turnovers on the season.
• Rooney has scored in five straight games, marking the first time in her career she has scored in five-or-more consecutive games.
• Canisius recorded 16 ground balls on Saturday. The Griffs average 16.67 ground balls per game, which is second-most among the conference.
• The Griffs have scored 10-or-more goals in six straight games.

UP NEXT
Canisius returns to action April 2 when it hosts Sacred Heart for Staff Appreciation Day. Game time is set for 4 p.m. at the Demske Sports Complex in Buffalo, N.Y.

FOLLOW THE GRIFFS
Be sure to follow the Canisius women's lacrosse team on social media:
Twitter - @GoGriffs and @CanisiusWLAX
Instagram - @gogriffs' and @CanisiusWLAX'
Facebook - 'Canisius Athletics'
YouTube - 'GoGriffs'
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