Resilient WLAX Rallies, Falls Short of NAC West Crown

Freshman Olivia Hudson scored two goals with an assist, but Keuka's 2012 season ended with an 11-10 triple-overtime loss to Morrisville State Sunday in the NAC West Division championship game (photo courtesy of Ed Webber, Keuka College Sports Information Department).

BOXSCORE

There was a critical moment during Sunday’s North Atlantic Conference (NAC) West Division championship when the members of the Keuka College women’s lacrosse team could have hung their heads and given up.

A slashing penalty had forced Keuka into a man-down situation, and the host Morrisville Mustangs capitalized on a man-up goal by Alison Falkenburgh to take a 9-7 lead late in the title game, capping a 3-0 spurt that turned a one-goal Keuka lead into a two-goal deficit.

But as they have all year long, the women fought back and had a 10-9 lead late in regulation on sophomore Taylor Smith’s (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder) third goal of the title game.

Unfortunately for the Green and Gold, that was the last lead Keuka would enjoy, as the Mustangs would outlast the Storm 11-10 in three overtimes to advance into the NEAC/NAC championship game, Saturday, May 5.

The two-time defending NEAC/NAC champions from Keuka (11-3) were led by Smith’s three goals and six ground balls and sophomore Maggie Bonafede’s (Churchville, NY/Churchville-Chili) two goals and two assists, but it wasn’t enough to lift Keuka past Morrisville State (13-4), which will face the winner of Castleton and New England College in the NEAC/NAC title game.

Freshman Olivia Hudson (Adams, NY/South Jefferson) scored two goals with an assist and scooped up four ground balls while classmate Kaycee Maguire (Potsdam, NY/Potsdam) added two goals and a team-leading six ground balls for Keuka, which on three separate occasions rallied from two-goal deficits versus Morrisville State.

Junior Molly Hogan (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads), the NAC West Defensive Player of the Year, made 11 saves in the loss.