Utica, N.Y. – The SUNY Poly women's lacrosse team competed hard on its home field but ultimately fell to Manhattanville by a final score of 14–7 on Monday afternoon. With the result, the Wildcats fell to 0-4 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Manhattanville controlled much of the opening quarter, striking first at the 12:20 mark when Pietra Cabral finished an assist from Ashley Glass to give the visitors a 1–0 lead. The Valiants added another tally midway through the period and continued to pressure the Wildcats defensively. SUNY Poly goalkeeper Rebecca Thomas made several key stops early, denying shots from Kaci Pierce and Ashley Glass to keep the game within reach. Despite those efforts, Manhattanville added a third goal late in the frame to take a 3–0 advantage into the second quarter.
The Wildcats answered quickly to begin the second period. Just under a minute into the quarter, Lilly Hargarther put SUNY Poly on the board off a pass from Lindsay Ellis, cutting the deficit to 3–1. Manhattanville responded with a goal from Kaci Pierce, but SUNY Poly capitalized on a man-up opportunity when Alyssa Hawkins converted a feed from Madyn LaFleur to bring the score to 4–2. The Valiants closed the half with a late surge, scoring three goals over the final minutes to carry a 7–3 lead into halftime, though the Wildcats remained active defensively with caused turnovers from Hawkins and Rylie Fischer.
Manhattanville opened the third quarter with momentum, scoring just 29 seconds in and adding two more quick goals to stretch its lead. Cabral and Glass each contributed during the run as the Valiants built a 10–3 advantage midway through the period. SUNY Poly continued to battle, generating chances from Brinley Ronan and Madyn LaFleur while Thomas came up with additional saves to slow the attack. The Wildcats found a breakthrough when Alexa Ulanday finished a man-up opportunity off another assist from LaFleur, and Ronan added a late goal with just seconds remaining in the quarter to trim the deficit to 13–5 heading into the fourth.
SUNY Poly showed resilience early in the final frame, creating offensive pressure and limiting Manhattanville's opportunities in transition. After the Valiants pushed their lead to nine early in the quarter, the Wildcats responded with a strong stretch offensively. Ronan scored her third goal of the game at 11:13 off a feed from LaFleur, and moments later Katelynn Truax found the back of the net, again set up by LaFleur, to pull SUNY Poly within 14–7. The Wildcats continued to push late in the period with chances from Truax and Ronan, but Manhattanville's defense and goalkeeper Mary Kopf held firm to preserve the seven-goal decision.
