BROOKE ATKINS
Special to The Leader
In a tough game between two NCAA tournament participants, Fredonia women’s lacrosse and Mount Union, the Blue Devils fell short, being defeated by a score of 9-7.
Fredonia got off to a late start when the Purple Raiders scored four goals in the first half of the game, and the Blue Devils couldn’t answer their call. The first half of the game featured everything from cold temperatures and windy conditions to snow, so it was especially difficult to scoop up the ground balls without slipping.
“It is only our second game of the season, so we are still working out the kinks and trying to get used to playing in these conditions,” sophomore attack Samantha Owen said. She also commented on Fredonia’s defense.
“We definitely picked up our defense at the end of the game, same with our offensive. They were a strong team, but next time we see them we’ll be even stronger,” Owen said.
Fredonia’s attempt at a comeback was inspired when Katie Miller scored two goals followed by Marissa Cussins and Emily Pollizzi, who scored a free-position goal, which led Kristie Kleine to score three straight goals.
With this being Mount Union’s first win over a nationally ranked team, freshman goalie Nicole Burrows put up a tough fight with seven stops in only her second collegiate start.
“College is a little faster pace, and the shots are harder, but I’m starting to get the feel for it,” Burrows stated. “I always try my best and continue to improve my game.”
Although Mount Union played on their own turf, Burrows believed that gave them no advantage over the Blue Devils.
“We have only practiced twice on turf, but we are just as good as them. Our team will grow from this loss and become better.”
With starting the second half a player down due to a yellow card, Fredonia knew they must pick up their game and give it all they had.
After putting the first goal on the scoreboard, Katie Miller said, “It felt great to put us on the board after a rough start. Katie Kleine fed me a great pass from behind to finally get us started.”
“Any loss is hard to swallow when we have such high expectations for ourselves, but we learned a lot from it,” Miller said. “We are excited to get back to work in practice and come out strong for our next game.”
The Blue Devils leave this week for spring training down in Florida, where they are schedule to play their first game Thursday morning against Roger Williams University. Their spring training will include a spot in the “Sticks Up! Spring Fling,” facing Roger Williams (Rhode Island), Rowan University (New Jersey) and St. Lawrence University (New York).