Having lost four games in a row, clinging to a playoff spot, the women’s lacrosse team desperately needed a win Tuesday against the Trinity Bantams. The Cardinals put an end to their skid with a spectacular 17-13 triumph despite seven goals by Trinity’s Beatrice Gratry. The victory guaranteed the Cardinals a playoff berth.
The game started off as though the result would again be defeat as Gratry twice beat Kate Jones ’06, the second of which came on a coast-to-coast run down the field. Three minutes later, Becky Meredith ’06 put the Cards on the board. After another 115 seconds, the score changed from an 0-2 deficit to a 5-2 Wesleyan lead. Becca Vogel ’06 scored twice during this stretch with her goals coming just 14 seconds apart.
With 17:12 left in the first half, Gratry found a seam in the defense but hit the right post instead, but she dented the twine a minute later. After the Bantam attacker tied the game at five with 11:52 to go, the Red Tide scored five of the last six goals of the half, the last of which came off of a Trinity offensive foul. The ref had the victim, Jen Bianculli ’07, start off with the ball just inside the Cardinal defensive zone. From there, she dashed the length of the field to put in her first career goal and make the score 10-6.
“In our Trinity game I think we demonstrated how we can perform when we really work as a unit for 60 minutes,” said midfielder Laura Siegle ’06, who tallied three goals and a pair of assists. “We have been pretty inconsistent this year because we have had difficulty keeping up our confidence and highest level of play throughout an entire game, but everyone brought their best to the Trinity game, and brought it for 60 minutes. This consistency is what we need to turn on and turn up as we enter the sweet, sweet NESCAC tourney.”
The second half opened with more of the same as Meredith softly lobbed one past Trinity netminder Michelle Smith just fourteen seconds after the opening face-off. The scoring continued and Wesleyan led 17-10 with five minutes left, but the Bantams managed another three goals to come within four. That was as close as they got.
Siegle was one of three players with at least three goals, the others being, Vogel, who tallied five, and Meredith, who managed four. Vanessa Jones ’05 scored twice and played fine defense, as did Katharine Needham ’05, but Jen Bianculli may have played better than either of them. She scored her first career goal, prompting a minor celebration on the field, and (regularly) hunkered down in the defensive zone.
The Cardinals close out the regular season this Saturday at home against the Ephs of Williams, to whom they lost by a goal in the playoffs.
“I think after Trinity each one of us will have the confidence to take some risks out there and heighten their game and personal goals even more,” Siegle said. “After losing to Williams by one goal in the playoffs last year, we are fired to take it to them. That game will be like a battle on the high seas. Wes Lax is back, and Trinity obviously couldn’t handle the truth.”
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