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| Shelby Vakiener (#24) and Rebecca Lampson (#10) of RIT fight for a loose ball against Renee Glass (#7), Jamie Handley (#2) and Ashley Caporizzo (#4) of Buffalo State. |
| Josh Barber |
With a soaked notebook, numbness in my hands and toes, and a constant shower of freezing rain, the March 9 women’s lacrosse game was anything but pleasant. Unfortunately for RIT, the outcome of the game against the Buffalo State Bengals was just as grim as the weather. Despite this, a small group of fans, including several members of the men’s lacrosse team, stood on the sidelines under umbrellas and wrapped in blankets, faithfully cheering on their team. Even greater enthusiasm was shared by the women’s team who could be constantly heard communicating on the field or shouting supportive phrases from the bench.
The game started off slow, but quickly picked up when Buffalo scored the first goal less than 10 minutes into the first period. Just minutes later, Buffalo’s Maggie Sharp (#17) passed the ball to Mariah DeBolt (#21), who shot past RIT goalie Katelyn Crane, a second year Mechanical Engineering Technology major, for the Bengals’ second goal of the game. With 17 minutes remaining in the first period, Buffalo State had a 5-point lead over RIT 5-0. The Bengals’ offense overpowered the Lady Tigers who had trouble keeping the Bengals away from the net.
RIT’s first goal came 26 minutes into the first period when Carly Augustyn, a second year Biomedical Science major, shot past Buffalo’s
goalie. After a sixth goal by the Bengals, RIT found the opportunity to score again, this time by Loren Azlein, a second year Film and Animation major. This would be the last goal scored by RIT until the second period. Buffalo, however, racked up another 6 points, putting the halftime score at 12-2.
After halftime, which many fans used to warm up in their cars before heading back out into the rain, it was clear that players on both teams amped up their energy for the second period. Despite their newfound focus, RIT’s players had trouble connecting as a team, allowing the Bengals to keep their lead. Head coach Jeff McGuigan noted that the girls “need to play better as a team” in order to defeat tough teams like Buffalo State.
Three minutes into the second period, the Bengals scored their 13th goal of the game. RIT matched Buffalo’s point with a goal of its own scored by Rebecca Lampson (#13), a third year New Media Marketing major. RIT also took the next two goals, putting the score at 13-5 with 12 minutes left in the game. During the last 10 minutes of play, the Bengals scored another 4 points while the Tigers scored twice, making the final score of this hard-fought game 17-7.
While RIT certainly has some improvements to make, McGuigan says that the team has made progress. “The girls work hard, and they know what they have to do [to win]. Now, we just have to do it.”
