In the women’s lacrosse game Monday, Hofstra University’s goalie Kelsey Gregerson stopped two shots in the final 30 seconds to secure a 9-8 Pride (6-8) win. The Big Green (5-7, 2-3 Ivy) was done in by a 1-3 day in free position shots and 12 turnovers in its final non-conference game of the season.
“Turnovers have been our biggest issue over our last couple games,” co-captain Kara Lehman ’14 said. “Each game, we’ve been trying to limit them, but it just hasn’t really happened.”
The loss was the third in a row for the Big Green, while Hofstra ended a six-game skid with the win.
The game was close, and accepting that the Big Green could have won, rather than that the other team was significantly better, is difficult to do, Lehman said.
“Losing closely is better than getting blown out,” Lehman said. “Knowing we can stay in these games is a positive.”
Neither team could take the lead by more than two. The Pride led for less than five minutes of game time but scored when it mattered to escape Scully-Fahey Field with a win. The visitors trailed the Big Green 8-7 with 7:46 to play, but Hofstra turned up the defensive pressure, not allowing the Dartmouth women to take another shot until only 27 seconds remained.
The Big Green broke through first with a goal by Jaclyn Leto ’16 just under two and a half minutes into the game. The Pride responded with two but could only hold the lead for 32 seconds before Sarah Byrne ’15 tied the game with her first of the afternoon.
The teams traded goals until the 1:37 mark, when Leto put the Big Green up 5-4. Co-captain Liz Calby ’14 scored with two seconds to play in the opening frame to open up a two-goal advantage at intermission.
The lead did not last long, however, as the Pride roared back to tie the game at six just three minutes into the second half. Over the next 10 minutes, Leto and Byrne each scored their third of the afternoon to give the Dartmouth women an 8-7 lead with about eight minutes left of play.
The Pride tied the game just 18 seconds later and took the lead with 4:24 left to play in the game.
With 27 seconds remaining on the clock, Leto stepped up for a free position shot, but Gregerson turned it aside. Danielle Lisovicz ’16 picked up the ground ball and fired another shot with just 13 seconds to play, but the Hofstra goalie came through in the clutch to preserve the win.
The Hofstra women played aggressively and stalled the ball, co-captain Bailey Johnson ’14 said.
“They executed their game plan really well and scouted our team,” she said, “and it threw us off a little.”
Byrne and Leto dominated the stat sheet, each putting the ball in the net three times. Byrne added an assist for her game-high fourth point. Calby put in one goal and two assists in the losing effort. The Pride’s offense was balanced, with goals from eight different women.
Goalkeeper Kristen Giovanniello ’14 stopped five shots in the loss before she was pulled in favor of the extra attacker with 1:23 to play, keeping pace with Harvard University sophomore Kelly Weis to lead the Ancient Eight with 103 saves on the season.
Leto’s three goals gave her 31 on the season and 52 for her career. She leads the team in goals and ranks fifth in the Ivy League.
After the game, the team talked about the number of challenges it has faced and overcome this season.
“We’re working on letting that go and going into these next two weeks more open than we have been,” Lehman said.
Currently, the Big Green is tied for fifth in the Ancient Eight, just one game behind Cornell University and Harvard University for the final playoff spot.
Dartmouth will take to the road this weekend to play the Princeton University Tigers Saturday at 1 p.m.
Macy Ferguson contributed reporting.
