Thrilling Comeback Fuels Milestone Win for Army

Saturday, April 7

Easton, PA

1 PM

Army West Point

8-5, 2-3PL

Lafayette

4-8, 1-3PL

Army West Point

Lafayette

Thrilling Comeback Fuels Milestone Win for Army

April 07, 2018 | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score

EASTON, Pa. – The Army West Point women's lacrosse team erased a five-goal second half deficit en route to its thrilling 12-11 victory over Lafayette on Saturday at Fisher Stadium.

The win was the second in Patriot League play for the Black Knights, marking the first time in program history the team has posted multiple league wins. Additionally, senior co-captain Amy Johnston joined teammate Rachel Hornick as the only 100-point scorers in program history with an assist.

Lafayette controlled the pace of play early and held a 2-0 advantage as the home side took the first seven shots of the game. The Black Knights found a response with 19:27 remaining in the first half as Maddie Miller weaved through the Leopards' defense and placed the ball into the back of the cage to cut the deficit to 2-1. Samantha Stewart followed that with a tally of her own three-and-a-half-minutes later to draw even.

The Leopards put themselves back on top with a 6-1 run that spilled into the second half and gave Lafayette its largest lead of the afternoon, 8-3. That run was guided by a pair of goals from Jane Kirby, who scored one second before halftime and 59 seconds into the second stanza.

With 24:46 left, rookie Megan Raftery kick started a 6-0 run that propelled the Black Knights to their first lead of the afternoon. Cameron Manor added a score before Johnston posted her 100th career point with an assist on Scott's first of three that cut Lafayette's lead to 8-6.

Raftery and Scott once again found the twine to bring Army level with the Leopards at eight apiece. The rookie combo of Mikayla Bergin and Manor connected to give the Cadets their first lead of the afternoon to cap the rally and opened a scoring frenzy over the final 10 minutes of play.

After Lafayette earned two game-tying goals late, Stewart and Scott added a pair of critical goals for the Black Knights that provided both players hat tricks for the game.

The Leopards were never able to recover.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

Army set a new program record for Patriot League wins in a season.
This was the largest comeback victory in program history as the Black Knights erased a five-goal deficit.
Johnston recorded her 100th career point with an assist, becoming the second player in program history to reach the century mark.
The Salt Lake City, Utah, native collected a game-high seven draw controls and has scored a point in 12 of the team's 13 games this year.
Stewart, Scott and Raftery became the fourth Army trio this season to record hat tricks in the same game.
Stewart posted her third hat trick of the season and fourth of her career.
Scott notched the second hat trick of her career, both of which have come in this season.
The Berwyn, Pa., native tied for the game high with three caused turnovers.
Raftery etched her second hat trick of the year.
Maddie Burns made a career-high 12 saves in the win.

WHAT'S THE WORD?

Noto Family Head Women's Lacrosse Coach Kristen Skiera – "The second half was a big test for us to respond, and we did a great job remaining composed, especially for the relatively young group that was out there most of the half. Our defense came up with some big stops, we cleared the ball well and were able to play more poised on the offensive end. We had some amazing sparks in today's game, and I'm really happy to see some impressive stat lines from our middies like Samantha Stewart, Megan Raftery and Rilee Scott. Amy and Juliana did a remarkable job controlling the draw in the second half and got us some mich needed possession time.

"We needed to get back into a winning mindset headed into Army-Navy week. Although today wasn't the prettiest game for us, it was our grittiest effort to date so it is great positive momentum."

So. Midfielder Rilee Scott – "I think once we started having a few good defensive stands and success on the draw we were able to finally capitalize on the offensive side. This contributed to our momentum swing. We connected both sides of the field and had a few huge plays that really sparked our rally, inspired us to keep working hard and allowed us to come out on top."

Sr. Attacker Amy Johnston – "First of all, I couldn't have reached this milestone without my teammates. We have put in a lot of work on and off the field to create the chemistry needed to be successful in the offensive end. With this win, we have reached another first for the program. Down by five right after halftime, we slowly chipped away and connected both on the defensive and offensive end of the field.

"Going into Navy week, we're excited to have our second Patriot League win, but we're focused on our biggest rival. We got our confidence back with Lafayette after two tough losses and are determined to maintain it against Navy."

UP NEXT

The Black Knights come back to West Point for the first Star game against service-academy rival Navy on Saturday.
Opening draw for the contest is slated for 3 p.m. as the second half of an Army-Navy doubleheader with the men's team.