RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Women's lacrosse suffered an overtime loss at Manhattan (1-0) on Saturday afternoon to start the season. La Salle (0-1) rallied back from two goals down as freshman Madi McKee scored twice with a minute remaining in regulation. The Jaspers would go on to capitalize halfway through extra time. Juniors Bridget Ruskey and Emily Johnston led the offensive charge for the Explorers as each player tallied four goals.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• After splitting the first two goals to open the game, Ruskey recorded a brace to give La Salle a 3-1 lead. The Explorers advantage would swell to 6-3 in the frame, but two goals from the home side narrowed the deficit to one heading into the break.
• Johnston and Ruskey opened the second with goals to push the lead back to three. Albeit a promising start, it proved unsustainable: Manhattan outscored the Explorers 5-0 over the ensuing 20 minutes. 
• Johnston got on the board at the 5:48 mark, the Jaspers responded shortly after to regain a two-goal advantage, 11-9. Neither team scored for two minutes and, with a minute remaining, the result felt certain. But McKee recorded her first collegiate goal at the most opportune time and found her second only 10 seconds later.
• La Salle came agonizingly close to winning the game when junior Maddie Dachowski hit the post on the first shot in overtime. 90 seconds later, the home side found the golden goal.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Ruskey led all players with five points (four goals and an assist), converting every shot she took. La Salle's number 27 also tallied the second-most draw controls on the team with five.
• Johnston, who was second among all players with four points, paced all players with six draw controls.
• Noteworthy Debut: McKee's two goals against the Jaspers were the most by a rookie in the opening game of a season since Ruskey netted a hattrick against Fresno State in 2018.
• Junior Annina Iacobucci had an all-around game. She scored once, collected three ground balls and tied the team-high with three caused turnovers (which amounted for half of all her caused turnovers last season).
• Junior Priya Kavuru led all players with five ground balls and also tallied three caused turnovers.
• In net, sophomore Kelli Kazmarek finished with nine saves on 21 shots.

UP NEXT

• La Salle will look for its first win of the season against an unfamiliar side when it travels to Yale next Saturday. First draw is at 1 p.m.