Women's lacrosse: back on top?

by Rebecca Hazlett '13
SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR

 After dominating competition during their time in Florida, the Hamilton women’s lacrosse team came back with the same level of play they left off with last year. A tough loss to SUNY Cortland and three wins, including a win against future NESCAC opponent Middlebury, brought the Continentals right back on track. The team, currently ranked second in the country,  is excited for their next championship game.

Hamilton knew it was going to be a close game against the fifth-ranked SUNY Cortland Red Dragons. It was the Continentals’ first game at home for the 2011 season, but their efforts fell short with a 12-9 loss. However, the team held their heads high and went into the next two games with a chip on their shoulder, beating both Nazareth and St. John Fisher. Junior “backer” or defenseman Meg Pengue ’12 said, “losing to Cortland was the best thing that could have happened for us.” The pressure of being perfect is no longer a target on their backs, and a loss will only make the team stronger.

Ninth-ranked Middlebury attempted to give the Continentals a tough game, but Hamilton came out with something to prove. Knowing that they will be facing Middlebury next year when they join the NESCAC for league play, the team needed to send a message, and they did exactly that. Sophomore sensation Rachel Friedman said, “Middlebury has always been one of the strongest contenders and we wanted to show them a little preview of what will happen next year.” Hamilton dominated the whole game and never gave Middlebury a shimmering glance at a comeback.  Friedman went on to say, “Our hustle and ride caused them to force turnovers which allowed us to have huge momentum.” Friedman tallied a season high five goals and senior captain Sarah Bray contributed four goals and three assists, which helped lead the team to a 16-6 victory. Nicole Nietlisbach ’13 made a career-high nine saves.

The Continentals face Vassar and Rensselaer, their first liberty league opponents this weekend. Paige Engeldrum ’13 said that “coming off a big win, hopefully we’ll continue to play like we did against Middlebury especially opening up our league play this weekend.”
The team takes the field against Vassar on Friday at 4 p.m. and Renesselaer on Saturday at 3 p.m.