Amherst, Mass. – The No. 15 Stevens Institute of Technology women's lacrosse team saw its season come to a close Sunday afternoon, falling to No. 7 Amherst College 11-8 in the Second Round of the NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Tournament.
The Ducks finished the year 16-5 and advanced to at least the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Stevens came out firing, building a 4-1 lead after the opening quarter behind a dominant start from
Alina Friz. Friz had a hand in all four first-quarter goals, finishing the period with two goals and two assists.
Maddie Hogan opened the scoring 3:34 into the contest off a feed from Friz before
Abby O'Brien doubled the lead just over three minutes later. After Amherst got on the board, Friz scored twice in a 37-second span to give the Ducks a three-goal cushion.
The Mammoths trimmed the deficit to two early in the second before Friz answered with consecutive unassisted goals, pushing Stevens back in front by four. Amherst took control over the final eight-plus minutes of the half, holding Stevens to one shot while scoring four straight goals to even the score at six.
Kailyn Vautour stopped Amherst's final attempt of the half to keep the game tied heading into the break.
Amherst held a narrow 12-10 edge in shots over the opening 30 minutes, while Vautour made three first-half saves.
The goalkeepers stood tall early in the third before Stevens reclaimed the lead on a woman-up opportunity. Following an Amherst yellow card,
Stefanie Sellitto converted a Friz pass to put the Ducks ahead 7-6. The Mammoths responded with two goals in 33 seconds to take their first lead of the game and added another late in the period to carry a 9-7 advantage into the fourth.
Vautour kept Stevens within striking distance with an early fourth-quarter save, and the Ducks pulled within one midway through the frame when
Elise Hensley buried a shot to make it 9-8. Stevens won the ensuing draw, but Amherst forced a turnover and turned it into an unassisted goal to regain a two-goal cushion. The Mammoths added one more with 4:11 remaining, while Stevens was limited to one shot over the final 5:30.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Friz led Stevens with seven points on four goals and three assists, finishing the season with 108 points. Her total ranks second in single-season program history, trailing only Kyra Bednarski's 110 points in 2018.
- Sellitto totaled three draw controls and a team-high four ground balls. With her final draw control, she broke her own single-season program record, finishing the year with 166.
- Vautour made eight saves in the setback.
