WLAX: Leopards edge Wildcats by one on Senior Night

Jamie Augustinsky

The women’s lacrosse team held its Senior Night on April 19 against the Lafayette Leopards, marking the last home game of the season. Seniors Christina Bahrs, Jessica Brozena and Marissa Lucy were honored for their commitment and dedication to the team in ceremonies held before the game. Despite the fact that both teams scored early, the Leopards controlled most of the action during the first half and held an 8-4 lead over the ‘Cats at halftime. They continued to dominate during the second half by scoring the first three goals of the period to build upon their lead, making it 11-4, but junior Stevie McFadden answered for Villanova by scoring the ‘Cats’ first goal of the second half. After a goal by Lafayette’s Maddy Booth extended the lead to 12-5, Villanova rallied to score six goals within 10 minutes. Led by Bahrs and Erica Rybinski, who each scored two goals within this span, the ‘Cats closed the gap to 13-11 with 12:05 remaining. After Lafayette’s Julia Bateman scored two goals, the ‘Cats found themselves down 15-11 with only 1:37 left in the game. Despite being down four with little time left, Villanova staged yet another rally, with Bahrs scoring twice and McFadden adding another goal to pull within one with 26 seconds remaining. The Wildcats fell just short of a comeback victory, however, as time ran out with both teams battling for control of the ball, and the game ended with a final score of 15-14 in favor of Lafayette. Bahrs led the Wildcats in her final game at Villanova Stadium, scoring six goals and adding one assist. Senior Jessica Brozena had 14 saves in goal in her final home appearance.On Sunday, the team traveled to Maryland for a non-conference game against Mount St. Mary’s. The game was close throughout the first half, and the teams went into halftime tied at six, but Mount St. Mary’s outscored the ‘Cats 6-1 in the second half to take the win by a final score of 12-7. Katelyn Catanese, the current NEC Player of the Week, scored five goals for Mount St. Mary’s, while Taryn McKenna and McFadden led the Wildcats with two goals each. Jane Karger had eight saves in goal for Mount St. Mary’s, while Villanova’s Brozena had 12 saves in net. The ‘Cats fell to 6-8 for the season with the loss.Villanova will hit the road to wrap up the regular season this week with games against Delaware tomorrow and St. Francis (PA) on April 29.