Hamburg, N.Y. – The SUNY Poly women's lacrosse team turned in a dominant all-around performance on Wednesday afternoon, rolling past Hilbert College by a 17–4 final. Behind a fast start, relentless defensive pressure, and a huge third quarter, the Wildcats earned their first win of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
SUNY Poly came out flying from the opening draw and wasted little time taking control. After early pressure and a save from goalkeeper Rebecca Thomas, Katelynn Truax opened the scoring at the 11:37 mark to give the Wildcats a 1–0 lead. Just over a minute later, Madyn LaFleur added another, and Truax struck again at 8:26 as SUNY Poly quickly built a 3–0 advantage.
The Wildcats continued to dominate possession throughout the first quarter. Brinley Ronan found the back of the net at 6:12, while LaFleur added three more goals in the period — including one off an assist from Alexa Ulanday — to cap a seven-goal opening frame. Hilbert broke through late with a goal from Ellie Pembleton, but SUNY Poly still carried a commanding 7–1 lead into the second quarter.
Hilbert opened the second with an early score from Sam Accurso, trimming the margin to five, but the Wildcats quickly answered. After several strong defensive stops and another pair of saves from Thomas, SUNY Poly got back on the board when Alexa Ulanday scored at 9:08 to extend the lead to 8–2.
The second quarter featured more defensive intensity from the Wildcats, as Ronan, Truax, Danica Knapp, and others forced several key turnovers. SUNY Poly generated multiple chances in the attacking end, including free-position looks, but Hilbert goalkeeper Olivia Cleary made several saves to keep the score from growing further before halftime. Even so, the Wildcats headed into the break firmly in control, leading 8–2.
SUNY Poly put the game away in the third quarter with its most explosive stretch of the afternoon. Hilbert struck first to make it 8–3, but that would be the last momentum the home side found. From there, the Wildcats erupted for seven unanswered goals in the period.
Truax started the surge with a goal off an assist from LaFleur at 9:23, and just seconds later Ronan scored to make it 10–3. LaFleur followed with another tally at 8:22, before Makenzie Pierce converted a man-up free-position goal to push the lead to nine.
The Wildcats continued to capitalize on their opportunities with Ronan scoring again on the advantage at 5:21, and Lilly Hargarther adding back-to-back goals later in the quarter — including another man-up finish — as SUNY Poly closed the third on a dominant run and took a 15–3 lead into the final period.
In the fourth, SUNY Poly stayed sharp and continued to apply pressure. Ronan buried another man-up free-position goal at 10:29, and later added one more at 4:53 off an assist from Hargarther to complete a huge offensive day. Hilbert managed one late goal from Accurso, but Thomas and the Wildcat defense remained steady down the stretch to seal the 17–4 victory.
