Senior Day success: Women’s lacrosse beats rival 9-7

Marcus Leary, Contributing Writer

The VCU Rams upset their cross-town rival, the University of Richmond Spiders, 9-7, on Senior Day, and advanced to 5-11 for the season. 

After the game, VCU celebrated the tenure of seven senior lacrosse players.

This win also brought the Rams their first win against the Spiders in VCU women’s lacrosse history.

Richmond won the first draw and took advantage of the early possession, when third-year midfielder Grace Muldoon scored the first points less than two minutes into the game.

The Rams tied it up less than two minutes later when third-year attacker Mia George scored her 30th goal of the season, according to StatBroadcast.

The Rams scored three more goals in the first quarter, which gave them a 4-1 lead going into the second quarter.

The Spiders stormed back into the game halfway through the second quarter, when fourth-year midfielder Sarah Roycroft scored two consecutive free-position goals.

The Spiders tied the game at 4-4 six minutes into the second quarter.

VCU head coach Nicole Flores called a timeout to stop the Spiders’ momentum shift.

“In the second quarter, they got a couple of goals on us. We call the timeout, then we score the next two goals,” Flores said. “It was about momentum and not letting the game run away from us.”

The Rams took back the momentum and broke the tie when third-year attacker Ashley Karn scored.

Both teams scored one more time in the second quarter and brought the score to 6-5, with VCU still in the lead going into halftime.

Five minutes into the third quarter, Richmond fourth-year attacker Ali Susskind tied the game back up 6-6.

VCU turned the ball over after the Spiders forced a shot clock violation. This turnover led to Richmond third-year attacker Colleen Quinn scoring her 40th goal of the season, according to Richmond Spiders.

Quinn’s goal gave the Spiders their first lead of the game, according to StatBroadcast. Quinn’s goal was also Richmond’s final point of the game.

The Rams tied the game again — making the score 7-7 — when third-year midfielder Mason Whitmore scored a man-up, free-position shot.

VCU scored once more in the third quarter, sending them into the fourth quarter with an 8-7 lead.

The fourth quarter was slow for both offenses, with neither team scoring for the first 13 minutes of play, according to StatBroadcast.

The first and only point in the quarter came from VCU second-year midfielder Kiley Kozak with 1:17 left in the game, to put the Rams up 9-7.

The black and gold avoided a late-game comeback when third-year goalkeeper Ahnika Eberl saved a one-on-one shot with thirty seconds left in the game.

“Senior night was a huge part of it. We all just got hype and wanted an upset,” said Kozak. “We all came in it together and won it together.”

VCU women’s lacrosse alumni attended the Senior Day game. They cheered and stormed the field with the current team when the game ended.

VCU fourth-year midfielder Kelsey McDonnell said alumni engagement is super important for the team.

“Even today on Senior Day, we have girls from two, three, four years coming to our games,” McDonnell said. “I think they’re a big part of our culture, and what keeps VCU Lacrosse alive.”

The Ram Athletic Fund teamed up with the women’s lacrosse team and created a new club, the 2016 Club, to get more alumni involvement and funding, according to VCU Athletics.

The club’s creation was headed by assistant director of Annual Fund & Donor Experience, Erin Mattone.

Named after the team’s inaugural season, the club’s goal is to “foster alumni engagement” and get more funding for the team, according to Mattone.

“I know when I played I would have loved to have alumni guidance,” said Savannah Slack, former VCU women’s lacrosse player. “It’s a great opportunity for current and past players to stay connected and keep the roots of the program strong.”