March 4, 2011
Box Score
PHILADELPHIA, PA— In La Salle’s first game under the lights of McCarthy Stadium this season and in former volunteer assistant Elizabeth Weber’s return to La Salle as a member of the Villanova coaching staff, the Explorers were stunned with a heart wrenching 6-5 loss to the Wildcats.
Villanova sophomore Shannon Lane silenced McCarthy Stadium and shocked the Explorers by breaking a five-all tie with 30 seconds remaining after Rachel Lasda gathered a ground ball off a costly La Salle turnover.
La Salle worked to get back within reach after falling behind by three goals 6:21 into the first half.
Sophomore Melanie Sarcinello got the rally started after she found the back of the net on a free position attempt.
Under four minutes later, classmate Lauren McDermott narrowed the gap to a single tally with her team-leading ninth goal of the 2011 season. Before intermission, freshman Maggie O'Ferrall continued the scoring spree when she converted on a free-position attempt to deadlock the game at three-apiece.
The Explorers expunged Villanova’s opening 3-0 lead at the start of the second half when sophomore Jackie Roebuck scored from the circle to put the Explorers on top to cap a four-goal run for the Explorers, which then set the stage for a back-and-forth battle.
After seeing its threatening 3-0 lead diminish, the Wildcats answered with two straight goals by the midway point of the second half to go back on top, 5-4.
La Salle continued to answer Villanova, as it interrupted the Wildcats’ one-goal lead less than five minutes later when Roebuck found junior Taylor Ruland for the equalizer.
Sophomore and first-year player Samantha Tulskie, who gathered two ground balls and forced two turnovers, was almost a hero for the Explorers in the late moments of the game. After sending one of her six shots wide from the close right wing, Tulskie was granted a free position attempt which also went wide within the final minute.
La Salle was able to battle back and keep the game tight in the second half by not only holding a 9-4 advantage in controlled draws, but also with the irritating defense it presented to the Wildcats, as it tantalized Villanova into turning the ball over on 17 occasions.
Friday evening’s game against the Wildcats held up to trend of tight games that these two teams have played over the past few season. The 6-5 loss that the Explorers endured made it the fourth time in the last five years that a game in this head-to-head series had been decided by two goals or less. The win for Villanova was the first time it defeated the Explorers since 2008.
Junior Allison Herman made her first start since the 2009 season in Friday’s game. Against the Wildcats, Herman caused a turnover and collected a ground ball.
With the defeat, the Explorers drop to 2-2 on the season before heading to the Carolinas for their next two games where they will face Presbyterian in Clinton, SC on Wednesday at 3 PM before making a stop in Davidson, NC on Friday to take on the Davidson Wildcats.
