Rochester, N.Y. – The SUNY Poly women's lacrosse team dropped a road contest to Nazareth on Wednesday afternoon, falling by a 19–2 final. Despite a pair of first-quarter goals and several strong saves from goalkeeper Rebecca Thomas, the Wildcats were unable to overcome an early surge from the Golden Flyers. The Wildcats are now 2-6 on the season. 

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Nazareth came out on the attack right from the opening draw and struck quickly, scoring just 21 seconds into the contest to grab an early 1–0 lead. The Golden Flyers continued to pressure the Wildcat defense over the opening minutes, forcing turnovers and controlling possession. Goals from Briana Panko, Megan Martin, and Grace Gardner helped the home side build a 4–0 advantage midway through the first quarter.

SUNY Poly settled in after a timeout and found its first breakthrough at the 8:20 mark, when Brinley Ronan converted on a free-position opportunity to put the Wildcats on the board. After Nazareth answered with another tally to make it 5–1, SUNY Poly took advantage of a man-up chance later in the quarter. Andi Walters buried a free-position shot with 5:48 left in the frame, trimming the deficit to 6–2.

The Wildcats generated a few more promising looks late in the opening quarter, including back-to-back shots from Katelynn Truax and Ronan, but Nazareth goalkeeper Allie Klestinec came up with the saves. The Golden Flyers added one more late score and carried a 7–2 lead into the second quarter.

Nazareth kept its momentum rolling in the second, continuing to win draw controls and capitalize on transition chances. Grace Gardner opened the quarter with a pair of goals, and Anna Myers added another as the Golden Flyers pushed the margin into double digits. SUNY Poly had a handful of offensive opportunities during the stretch, including a free-position chance from Madyn LaFleur and a shot from Truax, but Klestinec again turned them away.

Rebecca Thomas continued to battle in goal for the Wildcats and came up with several important stops throughout the second quarter, including saves on Megan Martin, Elizabeth Smith, Maria DeLorenzo, and Gardner. Still, Nazareth's offensive pressure remained steady, and the Golden Flyers closed the half with two more scores to take a 13–2 lead into the break.

The third quarter followed a similar pattern, with Nazareth striking early and continuing to control possession. The Golden Flyers scored less than a minute into the half and later added three more goals in the period to stretch the lead to 17–2. SUNY Poly's defense continued to work hard through extended pressure, with caused turnovers from Lilly Hargarther and others helping create a few transition chances.

The Wildcats looked for offensive answers in the third, but were limited in their opportunities. Alyssa Hawkins recorded a shot late in the period, while SUNY Poly also fought through a pair of green cards as the Golden Flyers maintained control entering the final 15 minutes.

In the fourth, Nazareth added two more goals to account for the final margin, but SUNY Poly continued to compete through the final whistle. LaFleur and Hargarther each tested the backup goalkeeper with shots in the period, while Ronan also generated a late chance after forcing a turnover in the defensive end.