LAFAYETTE HILL, Pa. - - The Wilmington University women's lacrosse team kept its Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference playoff hopes alive with a 9-7 victory over Chestnut Hill on Thursday night, staying a game behind Holy Family with one game left to play.
The Wildcats (8-7, 6-4 CACC) used eight different scorers on Thursday night, receiving a team high two goals from Penelope Fantis, including the final goal of the first half to give the team a two-goal advantage heading into the halftime break. The Griffins (3-12, 2-6 CACC) had the game high scorer, as Alicia Herbert tallied three goals for the hat trick.
Wilmington tallied three of the first four goals on the evening, as Fantis opened the game with a goal just 12 seconds into the contest. After Chestnut Hill tied the match at 1-1, Ali Kern and Maddie Hewitt scored back-to-back goals to put the Wildcats ahead 3-1 with 24:07 remaining in the first half.
The Griffins battled back to tie the game with back-to-back goals of their own, knotting the score at 3-3 with 16:22 left in the first half. That is when the Wildcats made their run, as Megan Keffer and Katie Spence tallied consecutive goals to again put the Wildcats ahead by two goals.
The Wildcats scored three of the final four goals of the half, as Fantis converted on a free-position shot with 4:35 to play in the first stanza to give the Wildcats a 6-4 lead going into the break.
Rebekah McCurry started the scoring in the second half, making it two straight for the visitors as McCurry converted her own free-position show to make it 7-4 with 25:25 left in regulation.
Gabby Spalt and Brittany Rhodes made it four of the last five, and six of the last eight goals overall for the Wildcats, tallying back-to-back unassisted goals to put the Wildcats ahead 9-5 with 11:12 showing on the scoreboard.
Wilmington used over seven minutes of the clock before the Griffins were able to get one by goalkeeper Corinne Dries with 3:59 to play. But it was too little too late for the Griffins, as they were only able to tallying one more goal with 2:48 left in the game.
The Wildcats lost the ensuing draw but converted on a clear attempt with 1:55 to play and held onto possession for the remainder of the contest for the much needed CACC victory.
The Wildcats trail Holy Family by a single game with one game to play, as the Tigers play the Griffins in the final game of the year while the Wildcats host Philadelphia in their final CACC regular season game.
Before then, the Wildcats host West Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday at the WU Athletics Complex. The team will honor its senior class prior to the game, as festivities will begin prior to the 1 p.m. opening draw.