ANNVILLE, Pa. – Seniors
Kyla Hebert and
Molly Whisler scored two goals each as the Lebanon Valley women's lacrosse team dropped a heartbreaking 9-8 decision to Misericordia University on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Arnold Field in Annville.
The Dutchmen (10-7, 4-3 MAC Freedom) controlled possession to begin the game as
Grace Marchese won the opening draw.
Kyla Hebert took the first shot of the game, which was saved. The Cougars (9-7, 4-3 MAC Freedom) took advantage on the first card of the game on a woman-up goal with 12:33 on the clock. Misericordia won the next draw and scored again to go up by two. LVC called a timeout and then responded with a
Nina Humpf draw control win, followed by
Kamille Bagapuro finding open space for her 22nd goal of the season to cut the deficit in half.
Chloe Moser won the draw, and Humpf had a shot saved. The Dutchmen forced a failed clear attempt to get the ball back.
Elizabeth Morgan tied the game up on her 31st goal of the year with 9:12 to play in the quarter. Misericordia retook the lead with just under five minutes on the clock as they scored a free-position goal. The Dutchmen battled over the rest of the quarter with Hebert and Bagapuro having shots saved as the Cougars held onto the 3-2 lead.
LVC dominated shots in the second quarter, 11-0, but were unable to score until the closing seconds as Morgan fired a shot into the back of the net right before time expired. Hebert had a shot saved after
Katie DeWitt had a free-position shot go wide. The Dutchmen earned another free position attempt with nine minutes left in the half. Whisler had her shot bounce high over the net. Morgan had a shot saved, and then Whisler had a shot saved with three minutes to play. Morgan, DeWitt, and
Annelise Shack put shots wide late in the half. Shack caused a turnover on a clear attempt and picked up the ground ball with under 30 seconds on the clock. The ball made its way into the stick of Morgan, who dodged a defender and shot right before the clock expired to even the score at the half.
The Dutchmen kept up the defensive pressure into the second half, holding Misericordia without a goal for nearly the entire third quarter. Humpf won the first draw of the half, and Hebert had a shot saved in the first minute. LVC forced another failed clear attempt, and Morgan had a shot saved. Hebert and Humpf had shots saved as the Dutchmen continued to put pressure on the Misericordia defense. Morgan had a free-position shot saved with 8:52 on the clock. The Dutchmen broke the tie with 7:26 left in the quarter as Hebert lost her defender and fired a shot into the back of the net.
Grace Marchese won the next draw, which was followed by a Cougar yellow card. Whisler scored her 46th goal of the season seven seconds into an extra-woman opportunity. The senior scored another woman-up goal a minute later as Shack found Whisler over the middle to make it 6-3. Hebert had a pair of shots saved, and then
Bethany Cohee had a shot saved with a little over two minutes on the clock in the quarter. The Cougars cut the deficit to 6-4 with 57 seconds remaining on a free-position goal.
Moser won the draw control, and LVC held the ball to end the quarter. Hebert began the final 15 minutes with her second goal of the game just nine seconds into the quarter to put LVC up 7-4. Moser won another draw, and Hebert had a shot saved. Humpf caused a turnover on the clear attempt and picked up the ground ball before Bagapuro gave the Dutchmen an 8-4 advantage with 12:17 left with her second goal of the game. Morgan had a shot saved before Misericordia began their comeback with a goal with 9:30 on the clock. They won the following draw, but
Gigi Ditsky came out of the goal and intercepted a pass. Bagapuro had a free-position shot go wide and then had a shot saved as time wound down. Ditsky made a big save on a free-position shot with 4:20 left. She added another save before the Cougars scored to cut the lead to 8-6. Misericordia won the next draw and scored with 3:17 remaining to make it a one-goal game. They won another draw and were able to tie the score with 2:01 on the clock. Misericordia continued its run by winning another draw. They scored the game-winning goal with 1:27 remaining and then won the last draw control. LVC had a chance late but were unable to get the ball up the field in time to get off a shot.
Inside the Box
- Hebert scored two goals on 12 shots to give her 42 goals on the year and 69 in her career.
- Whisler also scored two goals on four shots. She has scored 47 goals this season and 114 in her career.
- Morgan scored two goals on 10 shots. The junior has a team-leading 71 points on 32 goals and 39 assists.
- Bagapuro added two goals on eight shots and picked up three ground balls with two caused turnovers. She has scored 23 goals in her rookie season.
- Moser led the team with six draw controls, two caused turnovers, and two ground balls.
- Marchese had a team-high four caused turnovers, three ground balls, and two draw controls.
- The Dutchmen had a 39-15 shot advantage, including 22-8 in shots on goal. LVC was a perfect 15-for-15 on clear attempts and won 11 of the 18 draw controls.
Up Next
Lebanon Valley will enter postseason play as the third seed in the MAC Freedom Championship. They will head to Center Valley to face the second seed of DeSales University on Wednesday, April 29. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m. on the Turf Field at DSU.
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