Copyright 2016; Wilmington University. All rights reserved. File photo by Frank Stallworth.
LAKEWOOD, N.J. - - The Wilmington University women's lacrosse team's two-game winning streak was snapped on Saturday as Georgian Court defeated the Wildcats, 17-4, on early Saturday morning at GCU Field.
The game was moved up three hours to get ahead of the incoming inclement weather threatening the East Coast.
The Wildcats (2-8, 2-2 CACC) hung tough with the Lions (3-8, 3-1 CACC) in the early going, but the home team used a 7-0 goal spurt in the first half to open an insurmountable lead.
The Lions opened the scoring with back-to-back goals in the first 1:18 of the game, but Sara LeBrun took a feed from Gabby Spalt to put the Wildcats on the board and cut the deficit in half. Alexis Olsen again made it a one-goal game off a feed from La'Dae Boykin, 3-2, with 24:48 left on the clock.
Megan Card halted back-to-back goals by the Lions with her first goal of the game, bringing the Wildcats to within 5-3 with 19:21 to play. But the visitors wouldn't find the back of the net until the final minutes of the half, allowing the Lions to open a 12-3 lead. Sam Foster ended the half with a goal for the Wildcats, sending the teams into the break with a score of 12-4.
The Wildacts had a tough time beating Lions' goalkeepers Stephanie Lehner and Amber Neumann in the second half, as they came up with five saves on seven shot attempts. Lehner stopped a free-position attempt by Marissa Parker before coming up with back-to-back stops on shots from Shawna Chopko and Boykin. The Lions would close out the game by outscoring the Wildcats, 5-0, in the second half.
Spalt and LeBrun led the Wildcats with two points each, as Spalt dished out two assists. LeBrun, Card, Foster, and Olsen scored for the Wildcats while Boykin and LeBrun added assists. Maddie Hurm made 10 saves in goal for the Wildcats.
The Wildcats turned the ball over 24 times while also falling in draw controls, 16-5.
The Wildcats return home for their next CACC contest, as they host first-year program Felician on Wednesday. The game was originally set to be played at Felician, but switched to the WU Athletics Complex. The opening draw is set for 4:00 p.m.