TROY, N.Y. – A diverse scoring attack and a hot goalie lifted the Bard College women's lacrosse team to its third straight win, 11-8, over Sage on Tuesday evening.
For the first time since 2013, the Raptors have four players with double-digit goals, and the season is only five games old.
Four different players scored on Tuesday, and
Kaylynn Tran stood tall in goal, making 14 saves - one short of the team record she holds for saves in a game.
Freshman
Marion Adams, who finished the game with four goals, got Bard on the board just 89 seconds in, and the Raptors never trailed. At 2-2, Bard scored three straight goals - one from
Nicole Ellin and two from Adams - and it eventually led to a 6-4 halftime lead. Tran was outstanding in the first half, stopping 10 of 14 shots on goal.
Adams and
Alexandra Clarke scored to open the second half, so it was 8-4, but the Gators (3-3) started chipping away and closed the gap. Monica Koralus (Verbank, NY) scored her 29th goal of the season to make it 8-5 with 17:31 left, and just over a minute later, it was 8-6 on a goal by Nikki Pedone (Ballston Lake, NY). Koralus scored again with just over 12 minutes left, and it was 8-7.
Clarke made a couple of huge plays to turn the tide. She caused a turnover on a Sage clear attempt, scooped up the ground ball and scored to make it 9-7 with 10:24 left. A free position goal by Ellen Abbott (East Greenbush, NY) less than a minute later cut it to 9-8 with plenty of time left: 9:55.
Casey Witte broke the tension with a goal off an assist from Ellin to make it 10-8 with 5:05 to go. Clarke snagged the next draw control and Ellin cashed in less than a minute later to make it 11-8, and the Raptors' defense didn't allow a Sage shot on goal in the last 4:31 of the game.
Adams had three ground balls and a draw control to go with her four goals. Witte had three goals and two draw controls; Ellin had two goals, two assists, three ground balls and two draw controls; and Clarke had two goals, an assist, three ground balls, two draw controls and four caused turnovers.
Jade Waring and Tran each caused three turnovers.
Koralus had four goals for Sage. Jackie St. Pierre (Averill Park, NY) made 10 saves.
Bard next hosts Vassar College in its Liberty League opener on Friday at 4. Follow that game live right here.
