Pioneer Women's LAX Score Overtime Win, 12-11, Over Vermont
4/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
April 21, 2003
FAIRFIELD, CT (April 21, 2003) - Senior Michelle Bruckner (Carle Place, NY) scored the game winning goal with just 38 seconds remaining in the first overtime session to give Sacred Heart University a 12-11 win over visiting Vermont, Monday afternoon. The win, Sacred Heart's third straight, improves the club to 10-4 overall on the year and ties the school-record for most wins in a season. The Pioneers previously won 10 games during the 1996 and 2001 seasons.
Both teams came out firing on all cylinders, racking up six goals between them in the first seven and a half minutes of play. The Catamounts and Pioneers would remain scoreless over the next 13 minutes before Catamount sophomore Sara Talbot took a feed from junior Molly Sheehan and buried it in the back of the net for a 4-3 lead. SHU would tie the score with 4:45 to play in the half on Bruckner's first goal of the day and the two teams appeared to be headed to halftime knotted at four apiece. Vermont's Talbot had other ideas as she gave the Catamounts a one-goal advantage with her second goal with just one tick on the clock.
UVM built a two goal lead just 49 seconds into the second period when sophomore attacker Vanessa Cox buried her third goal of the game and 36th of the season. SHU sophomore Mary Romano (Baldwin, NY) got the Pioneers rolling, scoring two of her three goals over a four minutes stretch that saw Sacred Heart find the back of the net five times and build a 9-7 lead. The Catamounts refused to go quietly, tying the score at the 14:29 mark when Talbot scored for the third time. SHU's Jackie Reichert (Nesconset, NY) gave the Pioneers back the lead twice over the last 13 minutes on her third and fourth goals but the SHU couldn't hold the lead as Talbot tied the score with 2:31 to play on her fourth score of the day.
The two teams managed just one shot on goal in the overtime session, with Bruckner making it count for her 33rd goal this season. Reichert led the Pioneers with four goals while sophomore JoAnn Montesarchio (Cortlandt Manor, NY) added two goals and two assists. Romano finished with three goals while sophomore Natalie Smith (Wantagh, NY) added a game-high three assists. Junior Amy Lavoie (Nashua, NH) made seven saves in goal for Sacred Heart.
For Vermont, now 3-8 overall, Talbot led all scorers with four goals and an assist for five points in the loss. Cox added four goals of her own and Erin Hall had a goal and two assists. Kate McBride made nine saves in net for the Catamounts.
The Pioneers will close out the regular season with two Northeast Conference road games this weekend. SHU will travel to UMBC on Friday, April 25th and Mount St. Mary's on Sunday, April 27th. Sacred Heart will host the NEC Championship Tournament next week, May 1st and 3rd.
Box Score: 1 2 OT OT F Vermont (3-8) 5 6 0 0 11 Sacred Heart (10-4) 4 7 1 0 12Scoring: Goals SHU - Reichert (4), Romano (3), Montesarchio (2), Bruckner (2), Carroll UVM - Talbot (4), Cox (4), Hall, Sheenhan, Booker Assists SHU - Smith (3), Macchia (2), Montesarchio (2), Carroll, Tucker UVM - Hall (2), Sheenhan, Talbot
Goaltending: Sacred Heart - Lavoie, 7 saves UVM - McBride, 9 saves
