Wheeling Jesuit Cardinals Lacrosse Holds Off Roberts Wesleyan, Even Record
Eight different players score for Wheeling Jesuit
WHEELING — The Wheeling Jesuit women’s lacrosse team bounced back nicely following a disheartening 20-6 loss to Seton Hill University to open the season Friday.
On Sunday, the Cardinals evened their record at 1-1, while avenging a 2016 one-point loss to Roberts Wesleyan by holding off the Redhawks, 11-10, at Bishop Schmitt Field.
“To bounce back like this is huge,” Jesuit coach Tim Florence said. “The first game we played, collectively nobody had it going for us but this game seemed to be different. Everybody was in it and up to the challenge.
“Roberts Wesleyan is a great team and they beat us by one last year so to get the victory here on our home field is great.”
The Cardinals were up to the challenge and everybody played a part as eight different scorers found the back of the net and six players handed out assists in a contest where Jesuit never trailed.
“That is just the nature of our team,” Florence said. “We tend to have more feed-first type of players than scorers. That is just what they look for.
“Last year we were in the top two in the NCAA statistically in points per game and a lot of that was because of assists so it helps to maintain that.”
Sunday’s contest was a game of runs but with Wheeling Jesuit holding an 11-8 edge with 12:03 to play, nothing was certain.
Wesleyan delivered a goal by Jessica Giancursio at the 4:30 mark and another by Cassley Jackowski with just 1:23 remaining in the game to make it an 11-10 edge in favor of the Cards.
The Hawks regained possession of the ball in the final minute of action and a Jackowski shot was saved by Cardinals goalkeeper Maire Austin with only 38 seconds to go and another shot from Elizabeth Spada was sent wide left with 25 seconds remaining. Roberts Wesleyan recovered the ball with one more chance to tie the game but junior Lyndsay Carpenter was there to force a turnover with just 10 seconds to go to secure the season’s first victory for Wheeling Jesuit.
Austin and Redhawks goalkeeper Shannon Knapp each gathered nine saves in the game.
The defensive effort at the end was even more impressive after Jackowski put together a seven-goal game for the Redhawks, but could not beat the Cards in the waning seconds.
“Our game plan was not to slide off of her but she is just that talented of a player that she can still get her points,” Florence said. “As good as our defenders are, she was still able to manipulate the defense. She is a special player.”
The game was scoreless for the first 8:14 of action until the Cardinals delivered three goals in 1:18 as Ally Coggins began the trio of goals, followed by Hayley Holmquist and Taylor Booth scores.
Jackowski answered the Cards’ run with the final consecutive goals of the half to knot the game at 3-3 at the break.
Wheeling Jesuit opened the second half by scoring three of the first four goals as Mary Burns, Elizabeth Hales and Paige Plesich beat Knapp to give the hosts a 6-4 advantage with 25:56 to go in the game.
Back-to-back goals by the Hawks tied the game before Jesuit garnered four straight goals from Hales, Kori Hickman and two from Holmquist to take a 10-6 lead at the 19:46 mark.
Roberts Wesleyan delivered back-to-back goals once more but Markie Wright buried what proved to be the game-winner with 12:03 left in the contest to lift the Cardinals.
Holmquist paced Wheeling Jesuit with a hat-trick, while Hales followed with a pair of goals and Hickman supplied her teammates with three assists. Also dishing out assists for the Cardinals were Olivia Krock, Plesich, Hales, Burns and Kate Calder.
Wheeling Jesuit next treks to Florida for two games, taking on Florida Tech on Wednesday and the nation’s sixth-ranked team in Rollins College on Friday. Both games are slated for 7 p.m.
“This certainly gives us some momentum going into the next two games,” Florence said. “We have two tough games on our spring break trip to Florida but this gives us a little victory to savor for now and we will see how the chips fall when we get down there.”
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