Army Suffers Setback to Lafayette

Saturday, March 18

Easton, PA

1 PM

Army West Point

Lafayette

Army Suffers Setback to Lafayette

March 18, 2017 | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Army West Point women's lacrosse team suffered a 15-11 loss in its Patriot League opener Saturday afternoon to Lafayette. The game was even throughout both halves, but the Leopards struck a 6-1 run at the end of the game to come away with the victory.

"I think we did a great job today," said Noto family head women's lacrosse coach Kristen Skiera. "Our defense stuck to the game plan and I thought we were well prepared for Lafayette's explosive offense. We did a really good job shutting down their top three scorers and limiting Wilhelmsen who is the top point producer in the country.

"Kayla came up in cage for us and made big saves which helped us maintain momentum and started the fast breaks and offensive plays on the transition. One of Lafayette's strong points is its ride and our players recognized that if you break the initial pressure, you can find opportunities to push the ball and stimulate breakaway opportunities. We capitalized on that throughout the game and the offense finished when they needed to."

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

Erin Jollota fueled Army's offense with four assists and a goal of her own.
Kelsea Krauss led the team with a perfect four goals on four shots.
Manuela Cortes added two goals and an assist in the effort, while Rachel Hornick netted two and Samantha Stewart added one.
Amy Johnston posted a goal and an assist for the Black Knights as Taylor Andrews added one helper.
Kayla Rowley had a game-leading 12 saves and notched six ground balls and a caused turnover. Johnston picked up four draw controls for the Cadets.
The Leopards boasted a 27-18 advantage in shots, but that provided Rowley to out-save her competition 12-to-7. Lafayette also held a slight upper hand in draw controls (15-13) and ground balls (25-17).

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Leopards took a quick lead less than a minute into the game, but goals from Hornick and Johnston pushed the Black Knights ahead 2-1.
Krauss continued the three-goal run off a transition pass from Jollota. Hornick's also came from Jollota, while Johnston's goal was off the 8-meter.
Lafayette then scored two straight to tie things up at 3-3, but Cortes and Jollota kept the momentum in Army's favor when the pair of attackers netted goals 13 seconds apart at 10:58 and 10:45 of the first half.
The Leopards closed-out the half with two goals and started the third off by netting one 43 seconds in. This gave them their first lead since opening the game.
Krauss ended the run and knotted the score at 6-6 on a fast break from transition once again from Jollota with 27:40 on the clock.
Cortes scored the go-ahead 14 seconds later after Stewart picked up the draw.
After Lafayette pushed the game to 8-8 with two straight goals, the Cadets scored two of their own to reclaim the lead at 9-8.
Jollota was the play maker for both and assisted both Hornick and Krauss on the transition.
The two squads traded points thanks to an 8-meter conversion by Stewart, but the Leopards then went on a 6-1 run to finish out the game.
Krauss netted Army's lone goal in the stretch as it was assisted by Cortes. This brought the game back within one, but the Black Knights would not score again and Lafayette took the game by a 15-11 decision.

TURNING POINT

Lafayette's 6-1 run to end the game kept Army's hopes of picking up its first league win out of reach. The Black Knights and Leopards remained even throughout the game, but the second wind from Lafayette was the difference maker in the end.

UP NEXT

The Black Knights will be back in action on Saturday, Mar. 25, as they host Bucknell for the Patriot League home opener at 12 p.m.

"We did a great job adjusting to the varying styles of defense that we faced this past week," said senior co-captain Jollota. "I am really proud of our team and how we were patient against the zone defense and found the holes in the middle. Our defense and midfield also did a great job today. They had confidence with the ball and pushed it up the field to stir offensive opportunities."

"Overall, these tough games show us that we are a much stronger Army team than we were a year ago," added Skiera. "We have another nine-game season ahead of us in league play and this is a great starting point. We are excited for what the future holds and hope to be on the upper side of these close contests moving forward."

For additional information about the Army West Point women's lacrosse team, follow @ArmyWP_WLAX on Twitter and Instagram.