April 8, 2012
photo by Paul Levy
NASHVILLE – Despite seven goals off the bench, the No. 15 Vanderbilt women’s lacrosse team dropped an American Lacrosse Conference matchup with No. 11 Ohio State, 13-11, Sunday at the VU Lacrosse Complex.
Senior Alex Priddy led the Commodores with four goals and an assist. Priddy scored three consecutive goals in a 78-second span of the second half to bring the Commodores within striking distance at 12-9, but the Buckeyes held on over the final 11 minutes to get the win. Sophomore Katie Mastropieri had her second straight hat-trick for Vanderbilt.
“Certainly we had the kind of push we needed at the end of the game, but that needs to happen for 60 minutes,” VU Head Coach Cathy Swezey said. “It was extremely physical and we knew it would be that way. Our conference is so competitive, and we definitely have teams that are going to go after each other. We had players step up off the bench and score some good goals for us, and I thought Natalie stepped up in the goal as well.”
Senior goalkeeper Natalie Wills made a season-high 11 saves for the Commodores. The Buckeyes’ Tori DeScenza also stopped 11 shots. Ohio State’s Alayna Markwordt led all players with 10 points, scoring all five of her goals in the first half as the Buckeyes built an 8-4 lead before Vanderbilt scored twice to cut the deficit to two at the break.
Ohio State scored the first four goals of the second stanza to build its lead up to six at 12-6 before Priddy’s natural hat-trick narrowed the margin. Senior Kacie Connors and junior Carly Linthicum notched goals in the final five minutes, as the Commodores scored five of the game’s final six.
The Buckeyes held a 16-11 advantage on draw controls despite four from VU senior Ally Carey. Sophomore Alyssa Dunlap led the Commodores with four ground balls, while three defenders–seniors Catherine Carr and Taylor Lange, and sophomore Brandi Byner–each caused two Buckeye turnovers.
The Commodores take to the road next weekend to close out their ALC regular season schedule on Saturday, April 14, at Florida. Vanderbilt then travels to Notre Dame for its final road game of the season on Wednesday, April 18. The Dores will end their 2012 regular season on Sunday, April 22, when Jacksonville visits Nashville for a 1 p.m. CT contest. The nine members of Vanderbilt’s graduating senior class will be honored prior to the game (12:50 p.m.)
The 2012 ALC Tournament is scheduled for the first week of May in Gainesville, Fla.
