Hempstead, NY - Graduate student
Katie Whelan tallied a game-high four goals, but Towson would take the game as they scored with 1:54 left in the first overtime to defeat the Hofstra women's lacrosse team, 11-10, on Saturday afternoon at James M. Shuart Stadium.
It was Hofstra's first overtime game since a 15-14 win over Johns Hopkins on March 3, 2020.
Hofstra falls to 7-7 and 1-3 in conference action with the loss. Towson improved to 6-7 and 3-1 in Colonial Athletic Association play with the win. It was Towson's third consecutive overtime contest.
The game was tight throughout with Hofstra getting goals from junior
Taylor Mennella and senior
Amanda Guerra to take a 2-1 lead with less than five minutes left in the opening stanza. The Tigers took a two-goal lead with a 3-0 scoring run before the Pride evened the score at four with goals from Whelan and junior
Kate Fiola. The teams went into the halftime break knotted at four as junior
Katie Kelly scored an unassisted goal with 1:32 left before the intermission.
Towson took a quick two-goal lead early in the third quarter before Hofstra roared back with three consecutive goals to retake the lead at 8-7 with 7:20 showing on the third quarter clock. Senior
Erin Demek tallied the goal that gave the Pride the lead off an assist from Mennella. It was another late period goal that evened the score once again for the Pride as Whelan scored to make it 9-9 after Towson had taken a 9-8 lead on a goal from Milana Zizakovic.
Both defenses clamped down in the fourth quarter and overtime as the fourth quarter only saw one goal scored for each team with Whelan sending the game to overtime with her fourth of the contest with 3:43 left.
Each team had their chances late in regulation and overtime before Towson put the game away with an unassisted tally from Gabby Garrett with 1:54 left in the first extra session.
The hat trick was Whelan's sixth this season and the 18th of her career. Graduate student
Shannon Boyle tallied seven draw controls, three caused turnovers, and a pair of ground balls in the game. Mennella finished with a goal and two assists, while graduate student
Arianna Esposito added two assists for the Pride. Senior
Jess Smith made 11 saves for Hofstra, her ninth game this season with at least 10 saves and the 27th time in her career.
Zizakovic and Kerri Liucci each had three goals for Towson, which also got seven draw controls, two ground balls, and two goals from Blair Pearre.
Hofstra is back in action next Saturday, April 23, when it travels to William & Mary for a 1 p.m. contest. That game will air on FloLive.
NOTES
- Hofstra is now 18-26 all-time against Towson. The Pride had won three straight against the Tigers coming into today's contest.
- Whelan moved into a tie for sixth place all-time in goals at Hofstra with 125. She passed Kathleen McPike (124 from 1998-2001) and is now tied with
Alexa Mattera (2017-21) and Casey McGrath (2004-07).
- Whelan now has exactly 200 career points with the Pride. She becomes the seventh player in program history to reach that milestone.
- Smith made 11 saves for Hofstra and now has 506 in her career. She is tied with Jackie Carroll (1998-2001) for fourth all-time and is just the fifth player in program history to reach 500 career saves.
- Boyle had three caused turnovers to give her 75 for her career. She moved into fifth place all-time in program history, passing Jaime Irving (74 from 2003-06).
