Geneseo Women's Lacrosse Falls On Last-Second Goal To F&M In NCAA 3rd Round
SALISBURY, Md. - SUNY Geneseo junior attack Katey Hart scored five goals, but it was Franklin & Marshall scoring the game-winning goal with eight seconds left in regulation to upend the Knights, 9-8, in the third round of the NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Tournament, hosted by Salisbury.
Geneseo (17-3) finishes the season with a school-record 17 wins, while advancing to the third round of the national tournament in the program's second-straight NCAA appearance. The Knights were ranked No. 8 in the latest Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coach's Association (IWLCA) national poll, while the Diplomats entered the game at No. 7.
Geneseo scored four-unanswered goals to dig out of a 6-3 halftime hole and take a 7-6 lead with 14:09 left in regulation. The Knights led, 8-7, on Hart's fifth goal of the day, but the Diplomats scored the equalizer with 2:15 left to set up the last-second deciding goal.
Franklin & Marshall got on the board early with a goal by senior attack Caroline Krohn with 1:06 into the game. Nine minutes later, Hart evened the score on a strong drive to goal with 20:06 on the clock.
The Diplomats scored three unanswered goals, including two-straight by Krohn to start the run, to put the Knights in a 4-1 hole with 10:46 to play. Krohn scored from close range after a nice pass down low from senior midfielder Mary Mitchell at 15:30, before netting a quick-stick strike at 14:19.
Senior midfielder Emily Haggerty got things going for the Knights' offense with a strong shot into the top-right corner of the F&M goal to convert a free-position attempt at 6:45. The Diplomats answered with a tally by junior midfielder Megan Kelly at 5:06, but Hart would cash in on another free-position tally for her 50th goal of the season with 4:23 to play in the half.
F&M junior attack Brittney Jorgensen added the final marker of the period with 1:13 remaining as the Diplomats carried a 6-3 lead into halftime.
Haggerty started the Knights' second-half outburst with her second goal of the day off a restart at the 25:41 mark. Hart scored on a crossing cut in front the the F&M goal at 22:08 and then absorbed a hard foul before converting the ensuing free position shot to tie the game, 6-6, with 15:09 on the clock.
Sophomore midfielder Liz Felix gave Geneseo its first lead of the game with a close-range goal on the left side of the crease at 14:09. The Diplomats had a goal waived off following a crease violation at 12:40, but tied the game on a free-position tally by Jorgenson to make it a 7-7 game at 10:00.
Hart made a nice cut from behind the cage and scored off a pass from sophomore attack Tara Basile to put Geneseo on top, 8-7, with 3:03 remaining, but Jorgenson made good on a free-position attempt for her third goal of the day that tied the game 45 seconds later.
With the final seconds ticking off the clock, F&M carried possession into the Knights' zone. Senior attack Ali Kelly was able to get the ball just outside the Knights' crease to the right of the net. With the Geneseo defense closing her off, she was able to flip a pass to the left side of the goal where Grace Saliba deflected the ball past junior goalie Laura Passamonte for the deciding goal.
Passamonte was credited with eight saves as F&M out-shot the Knights, 25-18, on the day. The two teams combined for 37 turnovers, including 20 in the back-and-forth second half.
