NEWARK, Del. - - A strong second half allowed the Holy family women's lacrosse team to extend its two goal halftime lead, going on to defeat Wilmington University in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference season opener for both teams, 14-8, at the WU Athletics Complex on Wednesday afternoon.
Tied at 6-6, the Tigers (3-3, 1-0 CACC) went on to score eight of the final 10 goals of the game, spanning 31:52 of game time. The Wildcats (0-7, 0-1 CACC) carried as large as a 3-1 and 4-2 lead early on, fighting back to tie the game 6-6 before heading into the halftime break trailing 8-6.
The Wildcats got off to a fast start on Wednesday, scoring the first goal of the game 3:24 into the contest. After the Tigers tied it up, Jessica Stratton and Megan Keffer went for back-to-back goals to go up 3-1 with 22:56 showing on the scoreboard.
The Tigers put another on the board to cut the deficit to one goal, but Molly Taylor and Keffer hooked up for a nice one-time goal from the side of the net to push the lead back out to two at 4-2 with 17:39 left to play.
That is when the Tigers made their push for the rest of the half, however, as they went on a 6-2 run to end the opening 30 minutes. Holy Family put two straight on the board before Ashley Kroll made it 5-4 with 9:51 to play, and then score two more consecutive goals to take the lead once again. Keffer tied the game with 4:14 to play in the first half before the Tigers scored twice in the final two minutes to take an 8-6 lead into the break.
Reigning CACC Player of the Year Stephanie McNesby started the scoring in the second half before Jessica Stratton knotted her second of the game with close the gap to 9-7 with 25:01 to play. But the Wildcats couldn't get any closer the rest of the way as Holy Family busted out with three straight goals over the next 15:12 to take a commanding 12-7 lead. Jaclyn Hall capped the Wildcat scoring with an unassisted mark with 2:45 to play for her second goal of the game.
Kaitlyn Hall kept the Wildcats in the contest with 14 saves, stopping three free position shots while also stopping point blank one-timers starting from behind the net. The Tigers managed to outshoot the Wildcats, 24-13 for the game.
Keffer, Stratton and Jaclyn Hall led the team with two goals each while Kroll and Taylor accounted for the other two. Keffer also added an assist to contribute on three of the Wilmington goals. Liz Case added a point for the day with an assist as well.
The Wildcats remain at home for one more contest, as they look to get on the right track in the CACC on Saturday. They will square off against Georgian Court at the WU Athletics Complex with the opening draw starting at 1 p.m.