PITTSFORD, N.Y. (April 12, 2008) – Senior attacker Liz Mather established a new single-season mark for assists with 40 on Saturday afternoon but the Stevens Institute of Technology women's lacrosse team lost a 15-12 decision at Empire 8 foe St. John Fisher College at Growney Stadium in Pittsford, N.Y. She shattered her own record of 39, which Mather set just last season. With the defeat, the 15th-ranked Ducks were handed their first loss of 2008 and dropped to 9-1 overall and 4-1 in conference action. As for the Cardinals, they improved to 8-4 and 5-1 in league play.
Freshman attacker Michelle Buonacuore led the way for Stevens with four goals. Sophomore attacker Alyssa Pigott and freshman attacker Leah Wasserman each tallied three goals and an assist. Pigott also had two ground balls, two draws and a caused turnover, while Wasserman earned five draw controls and three ground balls.
Senior midfielder Kaitlyn Roes totaled five ground balls, four draws and three caused turnovers. She also attempted two shots. Junior defender Ali Palen recorded two ground balls and a caused turnover.
St. John Fisher was headed up by senior midfielder Laurie Quackenbush (Penn Yan, N.Y.) and sophomore attacker Lauren Glavin (Syracuse, N.Y.), who each notched four goals. Quackenbush also accumulated six ground balls and three caused turnovers, while Glavin posted three ground balls and two draw controls.
Freshman midfielder/attacker Courtney Clare (Camillus, N.Y.) registered three goals and an assist. She also added four ground balls, three draws and two caused turnovers. Sophomore attacker Jill Lockwood (Clarence, N.Y.) and sophomore midfielder/attacker Ashley Fenyn (Newark, N.Y.) contributed two goals apiece.
Knotted at 4-all with just over 14 minutes left in the first half, the Cardinals scored three unanswered goals over a five-minute stretch to take a 7-4 lead with 9:27 remaining. Quackenbush tallied the last two goals of the run – one of which came in the free position. The Ducks responded with a pair of Wasserman goals to get within one (7-6) with 5:54 to go. Both scores were on unassisted efforts. Shortly thereafter, St. John Fisher recorded the final two goals of the period to head into the locker room with a 9-6 advantage.
Stevens opened up the second half with a quick goal by freshman midfielder Christine Smith. However, St. John Fisher took a commanding 13-7 lead with 18:06 left in regulation following four consecutive scores. Glavin had the final two tallies of the burst. Clare and Quackenbush also added unassisted goals to lock up the win.
Sophomore goalkeeper Vicki Sahm (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) stopped a game-high 19 shots for the Cardinals. Senior netminder Stephanie Linder made eight saves for the Ducks.
Stevens held a 41-28 advantage in shots and a 16-10 edge in draw controls. St. John Fisher owned a 27-19 edge in ground balls. The Ducks converted 76.2 percent (16-of-21) of their clearing attempts, while the Cardinals were 18-of-30 (60.0 percent) of their clears. In free-position attempts, Stevens was 1-for-5. On the other hand, St. John Fisher was 4-for-8.
The Ducks return to action tomorrow when they wrap up their two-game road trip at Nazareth College. The opening draw is scheduled for 1 p.m.
