Albany, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly women's lacrosse team came up just short on the road, falling to the Russell Sage College Gators by a score of 17-14. Freshman duo of Alyssa Hawkins and brinley Ronan shined on offense, both scoring three goals. JaydeN Brown stood tall in net for the Wildcats, stopping21 shots. The Wildcats are now 1-12 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Sage controlled the tempo early, opening the scoring with Maddison Walter's first goal at 10:20 in the first period. That was quickly followed by a free position goal from Alexis Crossman, who tallied three goals in less than two minutes to cap off a quick 4–0 run. The Gators continued to press their advantage, notching six unanswered goals before the Wildcats found the scoreboard.
Despite the early deficit, SUNY Poly didn't fold. Madyn LaFleur struck twice in the first to keep the Wildcats in it, narrowing the gap to 7–2 by period's end. Jayden Brown, the Wildcats' goalkeeper, made an astounding 21 saves on the day to keep SUNY Poly within striking distance.
The Wildcats found new life in the third period, scoring five straight goals including back-to-back finishes from Brinley Ronan and Callie Johnson, with Ronan's second coming off a woman-up advantage. SUNY Poly outscored Sage 8–5 in the second half, fueled by sharper clears and increased pressure on Sage's midfield.
But every time the Wildcats seemed poised to pull even, Sage had an answer. Crossman was a constant threat, finishing with six goals and two assists, while Walter added four goals and controlled a game-high seven draws. Sage's defense, anchored by timely takeaways from Angelina Schaefer and Aimee Rodriguez, helped turn momentum back in their favor when it mattered most.
Late fourth-period goals from Alyssa Hawkins and Maya Massaro brought SUNY Poly within two at 16–14, but a final dagger from Crossman with under a minute to play sealed the Gators' win.
Despite the loss, the Wildcats showed impressive grit, with LaFleur, Ronan, and Hawkins combining for nine of SUNY Poly's 14 goals. The Wildcats forced eight second-half turnovers and nearly erased what had seemed like an insurmountable deficit.
