Rams fall to Wildcats in nailbiter
VCU second-year attacker Sophia Bombardieri celebrates with VCU second-year attacker Rachel Koeneke after a goal. Photo by Kieran Stevens.
Malachi Keys, Contributing Writer
Brianna Cobbs, Contributing Writer
VCU women’s lacrosse came up just short in a well-contested matchup against the Davidson Wildcats, losing 11-10 on April 9.
The Rams started strong in the first quarter, with third-year midfielder Kiley Kozak netting the team’s first goal off an assist from fourth-year attacker Mia George. VCU graduate attacker Mason Whitmore followed up minutes later, giving VCU a 2-1 lead after back-to-back goals.
Davidson fourth-year midfielder Josie Lambert matched the momentum, scoring twice in the first quarter to tie the game heading into the second quarter.
Davidson pulled ahead in the second quarter with a trio of goals, including two from second-year attacker Jenna Skibbe, giving the Wildcats a 5-2 lead. Davidson got a goal with eight seconds remaining in the half, but VCU would answer with a buzzer-beating goal by VCU first-year Amelia Eilbacher, bringing the score to 6-4 at halftime.
The third quarter saw another surge from Davidson with goals from third-year attacker Jacqueline Callahan and fourth-year Riley Cochrane, but VCU refused to back down. Goals from graduate midfielder Sarah Jones, second-year attacker Rachel Koeneke and fourth-year attacker Ashley Karn tied the game 8-8 entering the fourth.
“Offensively, we just switched up our formation a little bit,” said VCU head coach Nicole Flores. “We could get clear passing lanes and a better flow, and that was the big difference.”
VCU second-year midfielder Sam Palmer opened the final quarter with a goal to give the Rams their first lead since the opening minutes. Davidson responded with another from Callahan, followed by a goal from Koeneke to tie it once again at 9-9.
The teams traded goals until Koeneke scored again to tie the game at 10-10 with just under four minutes to go. Skibbe found the back of the net one last time for Davidson, handing the Rams a tough 11-10 loss with 1:50 remaining.
Although VCU took the loss on Wednesday afternoon, they believe that there is a silver lining in their defeat, especially heading into the A-10 tournament.
“I think this game was really good for us,” Karn said. “This game just showed us that no matter what seed we are or who we’re matching up with, we can give a good game. Come tournament time, if we play like we did towards the end in the second half of the game, I really do think that we will come out on top in May.”
The Rams will host the Saint Joseph’s University Hawks at Cary Street Field on Saturday, April 19.
