SPARKS GLENCOE, Md. (February 29, 2020)  – Freshmen Julieann Murphy and Maddie Schmidt each netted their first collegiate goals, but the Stevens Institute of Technology women's lacrosse team was unable to overcome a halftime deficit in falling to Shenandoah University 9-6 Saturday in a non-conference contest played at U.S. Lacrosse's Tierney Field.

Senior Kyra Bednarski netted her second hat trick of the season for the Ducks, who fell to 1-1 on the year. Alyson Bittinger had five goals and an assist to lead the Hornets who improved to 4-0 om the year. It was believed to be the first meeting between the programs.

"Shenandoah played a great game," said head coach Karen Shaddock. "They've had some good wins and we knew coming in that they were going to play us tough."

Sophomore Morgan Westerby found the back of the net in the second half and senior Hannah Condren added an assist to round out the Ducks' scoring,

"I'm happy with how hard we fought today, but we had a hard time finding momentum," Shaddock added. "We are still finding our identity and that takes time. I was impressed with the adjustments my players made throughout the game and we got better start to finish."

"We had a lot of young players get significant time, which helps with their confidence," the second-year head coach continued. "Maddie and Julieann scored their first goals and Maris, Lauren Malicki and Olivia also played well."

Junior Peyton Taylor made a pair of saves for the Ducks and sophomore Lauren Cunniff made a career-high nine saves in the second half. Ashley MacFarlane made 10 saves for Shenandoah to earn the victory.

With flurries falling, Natalie Nicholas opened scoring in the second minute, converting a Bittinger pass. Bednarski evened the score with her first of the day, before consecutive Hornet goals put Shenandoah up by two. Murphy and Schmidt scored their first collegiate goals less than a minute apart to tie the teams at three. Schmidt's goal was scored off the free-position.
Jordyn Miller and Bitinger scored 30 seconds apart to give the Hornets a two-goal lead, but Bednarski netted her second of the day with 30 seconds left in the opening half to pull the Ducks within one at the intermission.

Bittinger and Westerby alternated goals to open the second half, before Shenandoah scored three of the final four goals to secure the victory.

Stevens outshot Shenandoah 29-27 on the afternoon, although the Hornets held a 20-16 edge in shots on goal. Bednarski had a game-high 11 shots, with six registering on-target. Condren, Westerby and sophomore Natalie Fitzpatrick added two shots each, as eight different players attempted at least one shot. Bittinger paced Shenandoah with six.

Defensively, sophomore Meredith Conlin set a new career-high in turnovers for the second straight game. The Cortlandt Manor, New York native caused five turnovers as the Ducks forced 26 Shenandoah into 26 miscues. Shannon Kelly forced two turnovers to lead Shenandoah. 

"Meredith, Hannah and Natalie made huge impacts on the defensive end," Shaddock shared. "Lauren Cunniff did a great job in the second half."

Shenandoah picked up 25 ground balls, while the Ducks scooped up 23. Conlin picked up five ground balls to lead Stevens, while senior Kayla Buell had four. Bittinger led Shenandoah with five.

The Hornets held a slim 9-8 advantage in draw controls. Westerby and Condren combined to account for all eight of the Ducks' draw controls. Natalie Nicholas earned three to lead Shenandoah.

Stevens was successful on 20 of its 31 clears in adverse weather conditions, while the Hornets were successful on 21 of its 25, with the high winds affecting both teams. The Ducks allowed two woman-advantage goals on four opportunities, while Shenandoah did not receive a card.

Stevens went 2 for 3 on its free-position goals, with Bednarski and Schmidt scoring on the high-percentage scoring opportunity. Shenandoah successfully converted two free-position shots.

Up Next: Women's Lacrosse welcomes Kean University to the DeBaun Athletic Complex on March 3. The Ducks topped the Cougars 6-5 one season ago and have won each of the last eight meetings between the teams. Links for live stats and video are available on StevensDucks.com.

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