QU Women’s Lacrosse Sees Second Half Rally Come up Short at Sacred Heart

Wednesday, March 1

Campus Field - Fairfield, CT

3:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

1-2

Sacred Heart

2-1

Quinnipiac

SHU

QU Women’s Lacrosse Sees Second Half Rally Come up Short at Sacred Heart

3/1/2017 6:42:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score

Bobcats Score Four Unanswered to Bring Deficit to Just One With Nine Minutes Remaining

By: QU Sports Information

FAIRFIELD, Connecticut – Renewing an old rivalry between two former conference foes, this Wednesday afternoon non-conference duel between the Quinnipiac women's lacrosse team and Sacred Heart played out another thriller with the Pioneers holding off a ferocious Bobcat comeback bid to claim the 12-8 victory from Campus Field.

Trailing 8-3 with just over 18 minutes remaining, Quinnipiac wasn't about to go away quietly as the Bobcats ripped off four unanswered goals to get to within one of the lead with more than eight minutes still remaining.

With only three goals scored through the first 40+ minutes of play, the Bobcat offense suddenly came to life as Alex Hlesciak (Lumberton, New Jersey) got the rally started with her first of the day followed by two straight tallies from an unlikely source.

Playing in her first collegiate game, Kaitlin Unser (Smithtown, New York) stepped into the limelight and scored back-to-back goals within a span of less than five minutes to make it 8-6 Pioneers. Missing the entire 2016 campaign as well as the first two games of the 2017 season due to injury, Unser's goal-scoring ability seen frequently in high school (139 career goals for Smithtown High School in New York) was ever-present in her first collegiate appearance.

After Unser recorded her second goal, Loren Antonacci (Smithtown, New York) got involved to cap the 4-0 run and draw a thunderous roar from the Bobcat bench.
Climbing all the way back from the 8-3 deficit to trail just 8-7 with 8:27 remaining, the mountain proved just too much to overcome as Sacred Heart answered right back with a game-deciding 4-0 run of their own before ultimately closing out the 12-8 victory.

Quinnipiac had a chance to tie the game as Kyle Larkin (Holbrook, New York) made one of her nine saves on the ensuing Sacred Heart possession (off a free position attempt) with the Pioneers leading by just one. After securing possession on the Larkin save, a costly turnover on the clearance attempt led to an odd-man rush for the Pioneers which turned into the goal that broke up the Bobcat scoring run.

Later with the lead still within reach at 9-7, Hlesciak fired off a shot from close range but the Pioneer goalkeeper Paige Hammick came up with a big stop to deny what would have been another momentum-swinging goal in Quinnipiac's favor.

The Bobcats built themselves a sizeable hole early as the Pioneers scored the first four goals while Quinnipiac didn't strike for their first until just 6:42 remained in the first half. Allowing three Sacred Heart goals in a matter 8:24, Quinnipiac's defense steadied as the half went along as the Pioneers scored just one goal in a span of 24:14 after going up 3-0 early.

Four different Bobcats finished with two goals as Unser, Hlesciak, Antonacci and Ashley Bobinski (Kinnelon, New Jersey) all tallied multi-goal games. Antonacci, Allison Kuhn (Kingsville, Maryland) and Aubrey Conti (Latham, New York) all tallied one assist in the loss.

Larkin was solid in the cage, posting nine saves while holding the Pioneers to just four goals in the first half. Kiera Kelly (West Islip, New York) spearheaded the defensive unit with five ground balls and two caused turnovers while Haley Everding (Fayetteville, New York) forced three turnovers from her defensive position.

Quinnipiac returns home on Sunday for a 1 PM start against Army West Point, a team the Bobcats defeated 6-5 last season from West Point.