Utica, N.Y. – The SUNY Poly women's lacrosse team dropped a home contest to Brockport on Saturday afternoon, falling by a 21–2 final. Despite a pair of first-quarter man-up goals and several strong saves from goalkeeper Rebecca Thomas, the Wildcats were unable to keep pace with a fast-starting Golden Eagles attack. With the loss, SUNY Poly moves to 2-7 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Brockport came out with early energy and controlled much of the opening stretch, but SUNY Poly's defense held firm through the first few minutes. After the Wildcats won the opening draw control, both teams traded possessions before SUNY Poly generated the first real scoring chance on a free-position attempt. Katelynn Truax fired a shot at the 11:17 mark, but Brockport goalkeeper Marion Wheeler made the save to keep the game scoreless.
The Golden Eagles broke through shortly after, opening the scoring at 10:16 when Hailey Lewkovich finished off an assist from Emily Schiffer to make it 1–0. Brockport added another goal less than a minute later on a strike from Karaline McCarthy, taking an early 2–0 advantage and forcing a SUNY Poly timeout.
The Wildcats answered in a big way on a man-up opportunity midway through the quarter. After a green card on Brockport, Brinley Ronan buried a goal off a feed from Alyssa Hawkins at the 7:35 mark to cut the deficit to 2–1. Brockport responded with back-to-back tallies from Emily Schiffer and Lewkovich to push the lead to 4–1, but SUNY Poly once again capitalized with the extra player. Alyssa Hawkins found the back of the net with 5:09 remaining in the quarter after a setup from Madyn LaFleur, trimming the margin to 4–2.
From there, Brockport closed the opening quarter with two late goals, including a free-position finish in the final seconds, to carry a 6–2 lead into the second period.
The second quarter proved to be the turning point, as Brockport took control on both ends of the field. The Golden Eagles opened the frame with steady pressure and extended the lead to 7–2 on another free-position goal by Lewkovich. SUNY Poly looked to generate some momentum offensively, with Ronan getting a shot off midway through the period, but Brockport continued to disrupt possessions and control the draw circle.
A Brockport timeout at the 10:08 mark helped spark a major offensive run. The Golden Eagles rattled off nine unanswered goals in the quarter, including three straight man-up scores during a key stretch. Karaline McCarthy, Hailey Lewkovich, Ciara Pogue, Payton Tyszka, Tristan Davis, and Journey Naab all found the back of the net as Brockport surged ahead.
Rebecca Thomas continued to battle in goal for the Wildcats and came up with several saves throughout the quarter, including a stop on McCarthy with under 10 minutes to play. Still, Brockport's offensive pressure remained relentless, and the Golden Eagles took a commanding 16–2 lead into halftime.
The third quarter saw SUNY Poly work to settle things defensively, and the Wildcats were able to slow Brockport's attack for stretches. Brockport switched goalkeepers to Arianna Reed to begin the half, while SUNY Poly looked to string together clearer possessions in transition.
Madyn LaFleur picked up an early ground ball for the Wildcats, and SUNY Poly earned several clearing opportunities as it tried to build offensive momentum. Brockport, however, continued to create chances off caused turnovers and second opportunities. Journey Naab added the quarter's first goal at 8:49 to make it 17–2.
Thomas remained active in net and turned away multiple Brockport attempts in the period, including saves on Karaline McCarthy and Amanda Evans. SUNY Poly also worked through a series of penalties and defensive possessions late in the quarter, but Brockport added another man-up goal from Evans with 2:43 left in the frame to take an 18–2 lead into the fourth.
In the final quarter, Brockport added to its lead with early goals from Anna Lowe and Payton Tyszka to make it 20–2. SUNY Poly continued to compete and produced a handful of quality looks in the offensive end. Alyssa Hawkins tested Reed on a free-position shot, while Madyn LaFleur and Brinley Ronan each registered shots during a more active stretch for the Wildcats midway through the period.
The Wildcats also continued to scrap for possession late, with Thomas and Hawkins each collecting ground balls and SUNY Poly earning several successful clears. Brockport eventually added one final goal from Ciara Pogue with just over two minutes remaining to account for the 21–2 final.
