MORGAN MARSHALL
Special to The Leader
On Saturday, the women’s lacrosse team traveled to the New Jersey to face the College of New Jersey Lions for a 3 p.m. game.
The Blue Devils — who began their season ranked 15th in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association preseason poll — ended the first half of the game ahead of The College of New Jersey with the score of 3-1. The three Blue Devil goals were scored by junior midfielder Kristie Kleine, freshman midfielder Jade Williams, and freshman midfielder Monica Van Donse. Williams scored the first goal for the team.
However, their lead was short lived, and Fredonia couldn’t keep up with the scoring at the end of the game. With a final score of 8-3, the Lions, ranked No. 5, outshot Fredonia 18-2 in the second half and 29-9 overall. Sophomore goalie Nicole Burrows had 10 saves in the game.
Fredonia ended up with a total of nine shots, 12 turnovers, six caused turnovers, six draw controls, one free position shot and 11 ground balls. There was one yellow card penalty given to The College of New Jersey’s Elizabeth Morrison.
“We didn’t come out to play the way we have been preparing. We have a lot of talent, but we just have to figure out how to work together. We still have a lot to work on,” said sophomore midfielder Audrey Yokopovich.
On Sunday, the Blue Devils faced Montclair State University at 3 p.m. Again, they fell short with a loss of 10-8. Kleine lead the team with six goals and Williams followed right behind her with two goals.
Fredonia’s statistics against Montclair wered 15 shots on goal, eight saves, 15 turnovers, 12 clears, 15 ground balls, nine draw controls and nine free position shots. There were eight yellow card penalties given: two going to Yokopovich and one to senior defenseman Jessica Tuttle.
“Both games we showed that we can play with top-ranked teams, but in the second half [of the first game] we made too many mistakes to come out with the win,” said Kleine. “ It’s a frustrating feeling, but we have a lot to take from this loss. It’s a long season, and I still have high hopes from what this team has to offer.”
The Blue Devils’ record now stands at 0-2. They take on Denison University next with their first home game of the season on March 6, at 1 p.m. at University Stadium.