The women’s lacrosse team fell to the Kenyon Ladies 20-14 last Saturday, marking its only loss in the North Coast Athletic Conference for the past two years and ending its nine-game winning streak this season.† This resulted in a tie for the top spot in the NCAC between the two teams, who both stand at 5-1 in the conference, and ensured that Kenyon would host the conference tournament this week in Gambier, Ohio.
The Scots (10-3, 5-1 NCAC) came within three of the Ladies (13-1, 5-1 NCAC) three times in the second half, but weren’t able to overcome the scoring momentum of an eight-goal run by Kenyon early in the second half.
The Scots trailed 7-6 at the beginning of the second stanza, and goals by Nina Dine ’11 and Madison Carey ’12 put Wooster ahead after trailing for most of the first half.† Kenyon retaliated by going on an eight-goal run, including six goals scored over three-and-a-half minutes.
Still, Wooster did not accept defeat.† Down 15-8 at the midway point of the second half, the Scots scored four in a row to pull within three (15-12).
The teams exchanged a few scores, with Wooster still down by three at 16-13 and 17-14, when the Ladies scored their last three unanswered goals to finalize the win.
The offensive units drove both teams, with Dine leading Wooster with six goals on the day, while Carey, Amy Denny ’10 and Emily Meyer ’11 each recorded two.
Kenyon’s Leah Sack tied the NCAC single-game scoring mark with nine assists, many of them to Emily Nichols who scored on all eight shots she took on the day.
As the Scots enter the NCAC Tournament today, they will rely on their scoring capabilities, as well as their dependable defense, led by goalkeeper Shawna Ferris ’13 and padded by Britta Harman ’10.† The Scots’ defense has countered the scoring capabilities of other NCAC teams to see Wooster tied for the top spot in the conference.
While the defense has been critical in preventing other high-scoring teams from dominating the scoreboard this season, Wooster’s scoring capabilities have propelled the team into the number two spot in the conference, led by Dine, Carey, Becca Worthington ’10 and Clare Nelson-Johnson ’13.† Dine and Worthington are tied for 41 goals each this season, and combined these four players have amassed 140 goals out of 207 for the entire Wooster squad.
Today the women face Allegheny College (8-7, 4-2 NCAC) in the first round of conference playoffs at 5 p.m. in Gambier, Ohio.† Wooster faced Allegheny early in the season in the Scots’ first NCAC win of the season in Meadville, Pa., winning by a three-goal margin in overtime.
The Gators were the only NCAC team to knock Kenyon from its perfect conference record this season, showing their competitiveness as they enter the tournament.
A win against Alllegheny would put the Scots in the championship game of the NCAC Tournament tomorrow at 2 p.m., where they will look to avenge their earlier loss to Kenyon.