A couple of significant records were set by the Clarkson University Women’s Lacrosse team on Tuesday afternoon, but the one milestone the Golden Knights coveted the most fell just out of reach as St. Lawrence University rallied for a 10-9 victory in Liberty League play at Hantz Turf Field.
Looking for their first ever win over St. Lawrence, the Knights enjoyed the better of the play for the majority of the contest against their North Country rivals before the Saints took control late in the second half by scoring five of the last six goals to pull out the one-goal victory on the road.
Clarkson took a 5-2 lead after the opening 30 minutes, and led 8-5 with 15:02 remaining in the second half before St. Lawrence (11-2, 5-1 Liberty League) began its comeback.
After the Saints, with three straight goals, knotted the game 8-8 with just under seven minutes to play, senior Kimberly Loucks (Waterloo, NY) put the Green and Gold back on top with a record-setting score. With 5:28 left on the clock, Loucks, the Knights’ all-time leading goal scorer, connected on a free-position attempt for her 142nd career goal and 171st career point, which broke the previous Clarkson career-point mark set by Emily Bojarski ’09.
St. Lawrence, however, came back 31 seconds later to tie it on Margie Bailey’s goal, and then took its only lead of the contest when Brigid Hurley tallied her team-high third goal of the day, off a free position shot, for the game-winner with 1:51 left.
Loucks, who has 39 goals this season, led all scorers on the day with six tallies. Freshman Alyssa Cristaldi (North Syracuse, NY) also put her name in the Clarkson record books with one goal on the afternoon. The Knights’ leading scorer this spring, Cristaldi set the Green and Gold standard for points in a year with 63 on 42 goals and 21 assists.
Junior Cammie Hayes (Queensbury, NY) and freshman Katie VanDeValk (Baldwinsville, NY) also scored for Clarkson.
Bailey, Kim Morse and Lexi Wisnowski connected for two scores each for St. Lawrence. Alanna Piroli also scored for the Saints.
St. Lawrence outshot the Knights 32-19, but a strong effort from sophomore Hannah Walters (Amherst, NH), with 13 saves, gave Clarkson an opportunity to win it.
The Saints held a 25-17 advantage in ground balls. Alyssa Dausman (Syracuse, NY) and freshman Jeannette Pendergast (Greenfield Center, NY) scooped up a team-high three balls each for the Knights.
Clarkson, at 6-7 overall and 0-6 in the conference, closes out the season this weekend with Liberty league games at Union and Skidmore.
