It was an unfortunate weekend for the women’s lacrosse team, which fell to Bowdoin and Amherst.
Emerging from a win against Trinity last week, the Lady Cards fought these powerhouses with perseverance but came up short, losing 13-8 to the Polar Bears and 17-8 to the Lord Jeffs.
Goalie Kate Jones ’06, captain attack Laura Siegle ’06, and leading goal scorer attack Becky Meredith ’06 played their final home game against ninth-ranked Bowdoin. Aware of how important the game was to the seniors, the other ladies played with determination and heart.
Right off the bat, Jade Scott ’09 stepped up her game to score the first goal of the game. The next three goals went back and forth, tying the game at two.
Unlike any of the past games this season, this match produced an unusually small number of assists. Most of the goals were made either unassisted or from free position shots. By the end of the first half, the Lady Cards were only trailing by two points.
As the second half began, the intensity picked up. Amanda Belichick ’07 scored one of her three goals one minute into the half, closing the gap between the two NESCAC rivals. Unfortunately, that would be the closest the Cards would get to their opponents for the rest of the game.
Soon after Belichick scored, the Polar Bears found their rhythm and began to play quality lacrosse. The next six goals were black and white, giving Bowdoin a seven-point lead.
The Cardinals, not about to give up, retaliated with three consecutive goals, two by Belichick and one by Meredith. Despite the unrelenting fight, Bowdoin’s lead proved to be too great, and the women were unable to catch up.
Meredith, unwilling to let up her fury, held onto a tenuous string of hope and put two more up on the scoreboard for the Cardinals before the end of the match.
“The seniors this year have been a consistent driving force on every end of the field and off the field,” said Beck Dorey-Stein ’08. “There’s Becky Meredith who’s a top scorer, Siegle who’s always going back and forth making plays happen on both defense and offense, and then you have Kate Jones who’s nasty in goal. This entire season we’ve looked up to them and we’re really going to miss them next year.”
Earlier last week, the women proudly received the Connecticut Cup for the third straight year, having defeated Connecticut College earlier in the season and Trinity College last Tuesday.
“It was incredibly satisfying to know that we could personally end Trin’s season and kick them out of the NESCAC tourney by winning that game,” Siegle said. “I don’t think Trinity even got a glimpse of the cup.”
The leading scorer of the game, an 11-9 victory, was Sarah Orkin ’09, whose rookie talent shone throughout the season. Other top scorers included Meredith, with three goals, and Belichick with two scores. Freshmen Lisa Zweigenhaft ’09 and Laurel Sticklor ’09 both were able to add one goal each.
“We are thrilled to keep the Connecticut Cup in Middletown for the third consecutive year,” said head coach Holly Wheeler. “It has become a great rivalry, and I was very proud of how the team played against Trinity.”
The women have finished the regular season with an overall record of 9-7 (3-6 NESCAC).
“This season we showed marked improvements and progress,” Wheeler said. “I’ve been very pleased with how hard the team has worked.”
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