By Shelby Townsend
Sports Editor
The men’s and women’s lacrosse teams won their final regular season home games against Roberts Wesleyan College and New York Institute of technology, respectively, on Saturday, April 29 at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium in Brookville.
The women played first, defeating the NYIT Bears in an exciting overtime finish, 12-11. The Pioneers went into the half with a commanding 8-3 lead, but a 4-0 run by the Bears in the middle of the second half brought the visiting team within one. It was a back and forth battle for the remainder of regulation play, but a goal by NYIT’s Lexi Ruiz tied the game, forcing it into overtime.
The Pioneers came out strong in overtime as senior defender Cara Douglas won the draw, and senior attacker Brianna LaCompte, assisted by fellow senior attacker Connor Bird, scored the game winning goal.
Seven seniors will be graduating after this season. Head women’s lacrosse coach Meghan McNamara said she will miss their laughter the most. “They always brought excitement to the game, competitiveness to the game, and they always enjoyed lacrosse and the team,” McNamara said about her seniors after the game.
Immediately following the women’s exciting victory, head men’s lacrosse coach John Jez and his team took the field and dominated Roberts Wesleyan College, 10-5.
A strong Pioneer defense held the Redhawks scorelesss in the second quarter, ending the first half with a 6-2 LIU Post lead. The visiting team was only able to get within four during the second half, and the Pioneers finished regular season play strong with the 10-5 victory over the Redhawks.
Eight seniors on the men’s lacrosse team were recognized prior to the start of the game.
The men’s team holds the No. 4 seed and returns to action on May 3 in the first game of postseason play when they take on No. 1 seed NYIT in Old Westbury, NY. The game is set to start at 3:30 p.m.
The top seeded women’s team will start its postseason play on their home turf against No. 4 seed Roberts Wesleyan College on May 4 at 3 p.m. The Pioneers dominated the Redhawks earlier this season with a 17-3 win. A victory on Thursday would advance them to the East Coast Conference finals on Saturday, May 6.
Be First to Comment