Sports
Women’s lacrosse dominates Williams by double-digit margin at home
By Patrick Malin ’18
April 14, 2016
Tags sports
The Hamilton women’s lacrosse team is off to an impressive 2016 campaign, sporting an overall record of 8-3 with a 4-3 NESCAC record in the most competitive conference in Division III lacrosse. With a highly anticipated clash against the undefeated Middlebury team, ranked second nationally, on the horizon, the Continentals are preparing for a late-season push to gain home-field advantage in the NESCAC playoffs.
The Continentals possess a strong resume in 2016, with two wins against nationally ranked opponents and several dominant performances against conference opponents. The successful beginning to the season has caught the attention of the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Association, earning Hamilton an 11th place ranking on the National Division III Coaches Poll.
Most recently, the Continentals tallied a double-digit margin of victory over Williams at home on April 12, beating the Ephs by a final score of 14-4. Hamilton had a perfect start to the game, surging to a 6-0 lead in the opening minutes of the game. Williams mounted a rally heading into the second half, but the Continentals stormed back with another 6-0 run to pull away and secure the crucial NESCAC victory. Casey File ’17 and Jackie Cuddy ’18 led the Continentals with three goals each, and Caroline McCarthy ’16 matched her career high with four assists in the game. Margaret Gabriel ’16 had an all-around stat-line, scoring two goals, assisting on another, and winning three ground balls.
Last weekend, the Continentals prevailed in a tight NESCAC contest against the 16th ranked Tufts Jumbos in Medford, M.A. In a game dictated by lead changes, the Continentals rallied back from an 8-6 halftime deficit with a 4-0 run, highlighted by two goals from File and a free-position shot conversion by Morgan Fletcher ’17, last year’s all-conference, all-region, and all-American team member. However, Tufts countered with a scoring run of its own, tying the game 11-11 with only eight minutes remaining in regulation.
Midfielder Darby Philbrick ’18 proved to be the difference maker in crunch time. Within two minutes, Philbrick scored two unassisted goals leaving Tufts with only two minutes to overcome the two-goal deficit. Although the Jumbos were able to reduce the Continentals’ lead to just one goal with one minute left, they were unable to level the score and send the game into overtime. When time expired, the scoreboard read 13-12 in favor of the Continentals in a clash of two nationally ranked titans. McCarthy led the Continentals in assists, with three, and Hannah Burrall ’19 made six important saves to seal the victory. The win marked the second one-goal victory for the Continentals this season, the other coming against Florida Southern over spring break in Bradenton, Florida.
McCarthy has been the central force on the offensive half for the Continentals this season. She leads the team with 31 points, having tallied a team high 21 assists while adding 10 goals in her final season at Hamilton. McCarthy’s role has transitioned greatly from a talented scoring threat last season, when she scored 26 goals, to the main facilitator for the Continentals’ offense while recording the third most assists in the NESCAC. On the defensive end of the field, Burrall has excelled between the pipes in her first season as a starting goalkeeper. Burrall has a 6-2 record for a 75 percent winning percentage in net for the 11th ranked Continentals this season.
Hamilton is currently stand at sixth place in the NESCAC standings, just one game behind a tie for third place with Amherst, Bates and Colby. Only four games remain on the Continentals’ schedule, including a game against second ranked Middlebury, as well as home NESCAC contests against Connecticut College and Trinity, a team that has only lost one NESCAC game this season. Hamilton also will play a non-conference game against Ithaca at home on April 19.