March 22, 2014
The final six minutes of Wednesday’s lacrosse game against Louisville was not the ending Vanderbilt wanted.
But the fact the Commodores fought back to tie the game and force overtime gives them hope as they move into the second half of the season.
Vanderbilt continues a four-game homestand at 1 p.m. on Sunday when it hosts No. 12 University of Pennsylvania at the VU Lacrosse Complex. The Commodores (3-5) are trying to snap a three-game losing streak after surrendering four goals in overtime in an 18-14 loss to Louisville on Wednesday.
“We’re really excited (for Penn),” sophomore attacker Mallory Schonk said. “They’re a great team. We want to get back at it and show that we’re capable of pulling through with a win.”
Even in the loss, the Commodores again showed resiliency in battling back from a three-goal deficit in the first half and from two goals behind in the second half to tie the game with 23 seconds left. Schonk connected with Wheeler, who willed her fourth goal of the game into the net.
Wheeler, a senior attacker, has 18 goals this season and shares the team-lead with Kelly Chandler, who scored a career-high five times against Louisville. Chandler, a sophomore midfielder, has scored nine goals in the past two games.
“On attack, I think we did a great job of handling (Louisville’s) pressure,” Schonk said. “We could possess that ball when we needed. So I think our coaches were proud that we bought into the game plan… We had been trying to focus on playing a full 60 minutes.”
The Commodores and Penn have met just once, last year with the Quakers winning 14-13 in overtime. The only two losses for Penn (4-2) this season have been to top-ranked North Carolina and No. 2 Maryland, which were victorious 15-5 on Wednesday.
Penn has won three of its last four games and is led by Tory Bensen (15 goals) and Lely DeSimone (11 goals).
Sunday will be Vanderbilt’s fifth game against a ranked opponent this season.
The Commodores have lost to No. 1 UNC, then-No. 13 Massachusetts and then-No. 11 Penn State this season. Their lone victory over a ranked foe this year came in a thrilling come-from-behind overtime victory at Stanford, which was ranked 13th at the time. In addition, Denver and Louisville were receiving votes by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association at the time Vanderbilt played them.