After fighting for a lead throughout the first half, lacrosse retook the momentum to secure an 18-11 win over Mount St. Mary’s Tuesday afternoon.
The Colonials initiated their momentum with four minutes left in the first half after the Mount scored and increased their lead to 6-9. After the goal, Senior Rachel Quinn earned a yellow card, putting the Colonials a man down.
They responded positively: Freshman goalie Adele Wise saved a shot then passed quickly to sophomore Michaela Lynch who ran down the field and passed to sophomore Bailey Forcier who launched a shot into the back of the net.
They scored another goal a man down and one more to take the game into halftime only a goal behind at 10-9.
“I knew we needed to win,” senior Jamie Bumgardner said. “We definitely have the potential, it’s just a matter of putting it to action, so I knew that if we had a spark then that would just get our team rolling.”
Bumbgardner scored the first two goals of the second half, jumpstarting the spree. She scored three goals total and had seven assists, a new GW record.
Senior Rachel Mia scored seven goals to push her total to 22 goals this season. The single-game goal total matched the GW record she set in 2013.
Three other Colonials earned goals: Forcier scored four, Lynch scored two and junior Gabbi Hull scored two.
“We wanted to push the fat break out of transition, and I think we did a good job of that,” Head Coach Tracy Coyne said, “I think we had a good balance of fast break goals and goals in the settle.”
The Colonials put up 15 shots in both halves, but they controlled possession better in the second half, keeping the Mount to just four shots in the second half. GW controlled the draws 9-3 in the second half after the Mount won the draw controls 11-9 in the first.
The defense contributed to the momentum change significantly. In the second half, they forced the Mount to turnover the ball 13 times.
The defense in the first half was not as aggressive; they defended at a distance as the the Mount leisurely passed around the crease before storming in when they got the chance – six of their 10 goals were unassisted runs at the net.
When the Mount took the lead with eight minutes left, Coyne took starter senior Mackenzie Jones out of the net after she made zero saves and replaced her with Wise who made two saves.
“Adele did a nice job,” Coyne said, “It’s hard coming off the bench and contribute.”
The Colonials ended a three-game losing streak with the win, putting their record at 2-4.
“It’s just a matter of learning how to win, and I think we all brought it today,” Bumgardner said.
