March 11, 2012
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Senior All-American Ally Carey scored four goals, including three of the game’s final four tallies, to lead the No. 7/6 Vanderbilt women’s lacrosse team to a 10-8 victory at Canisius on Sunday.
Five Commodores scored in the game, with reserves Alex Priddy and Abby Wheeler each notching two goals. Carey was 4-of-4 on free position attempts in the game.
Vanderbilt (4-1) survived a 20-minute drought that saw the Golden Griffins score five straight goals to take a 8-6 lead with 17 minutes to play. After Canisius (2-3) took its two-goal lead, Vanderbilt scored twice in less than a minute. Carey’s free position goal was followed closely by a score from fellow-senior Priddy.
Carey would return to the eight-meter arc twice more over the game’s final nine minutes, giving Vanderbilt back the lead at the 8:52 mark and then scoring an insurance goal with just over five minutes to play.
Junior goalkeeper Chelsea Pasfield made three saves while allowing only three goals in the second half as Vanderbilt held Canisius scoreless over the final 17 and a half minutes.
After sophomore Katie Mastropieri scored just 18 seconds into the game, the Commodores never trailed in the first half. Carey’s first goal at the 7:40 mark of the first half gave Vanderbilt a 6-3 lead, but the Griffs would score twice before halftime to only trail by one at the break.
“We have a great team this year, but we need more consistency,” VU Head Coach Cathy Swezey said. “Hopefully, we can learn to play a 60-minute game very soon.”
The Commodores return home to the VU Lacrosse Complex to play host to a pair of games this week. Louisville comes to town on Wednesday, March 14, before No. 12/14 Penn State visits for both teams’ first American Lacrosse Conference match.
