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| AU's Madison Hoon (#9) ties the game at 5-5 |
From our friends at AU Athletics...
In its final non-conference game of the season, the American lacrosse team dropped a narrow 7-6 decision to Old Dominion on Saturday afternoon at Jacobs Field.
With the loss, the Eagles fell to 3-6 overall on the season, while the Lady Monarchs improved to 5-2 overall.
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| Jessica Wojciechowski (#7) scored twice |
Junior Madison Hoon led the Eagles' offense with a goal and two assists, while senior Jessica Wojciechowski and junior Sarah Bootman each added two scores. Meanwhile, freshman goalkeeper Fiona Geier registered a career-best 13 saves for the Eagles.
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| Sarah Bootman (#18, 2 goals) draws a crowd |
After an early AU goal was called off due to an illegal stick, Old Dominion scored on its next possession to take a 1-0 lead five and a half minutes into the game.
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| Fiona Geier (#30) registered a career-high 13 saves |
The Eagles pulled ahead after back-to-back scores from Wojciechowski and sophomore Jennifer DeSimone, while the Lady Monarchs tied the game at 2-2 with a free-position goal midway through the first half. American regained its lead with a free-position goal by Wojciechowski at the 7:41 mark, but ODU knotted the score with 11 seconds remaining in the first half.
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| Jennifer DeSimone (#28) scores, gives AU a 2-1 lead |
The Lady Monarchs continued their momentum with two goals in the first two minutes of the second half to take a 5-4 advantage. However, Bootman put the Eagles back on the board at the 26:27 mark and Hoon added a man-up goal with 22:29 on the clock to tie the game at 5-5.
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| Frosh Midfielder Brooke Stapleton (#24) |
Neither team scored over the next 15 minutes before Old Dominion ended the drought with a tally at the 7:01 mark. The Lady Monarchs added another goal less than two minutes later to pull ahead to a 7-5 advantage.
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| Junior A/M Shauna Norris (#33) |
With just over two minutes remaining, Bootman tallied her second goal of the game with an assist from Hoon, bringing the Eagles back within one, but the Lady Monarchs gained possession on the ensuing draw control to hold on for the victory.
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| Ashmore Standing (#19) led all players with 3 goals & 8 shots |
Old Dominion outshot American for the game, 25-15, including a 15-6 edge in the second half. The Lady Monarchs also had a 9-6 advantage on draw controls and committed four fewer turnovers.
"It was a huge defensive improvement for us today. Fiona played really well in the cage," said American head coach Emma Wallace.
"Offensively, we just had too many turnovers, and costly ones. We didn't really find our rhythm and we still need to work on that. Our youth is coming into play when it comes to that aspect of the game. It's something that we need to learn from, and hopefully by watching film, we'll be able to get back for Tuesday's game."
The Eagles are back in action on Tuesday, March 15, when they visit Patriot League foe Loyola Maryland in a 7 PM contest.
Click here for today's box score.
