The girl’s varsity lacrosse team took on the Owego Indians on the eve of spring break in a battle that ended in a 13-8 defeat for the Saints. Although not reflected in the final score, the game was neck-in-neck, with an 8-8 tie score and only 12 minutes left in the game. However, defensive fouls awarding Owego free position shots ultimately stole the taste of victory from the Saints. 

From the first draw of the game, Seton was eager to claim a win. Not even a full minute into the game, lead scorer #5 Alexandra Back drives from the left side of the crease past her defender, snapping the ball into the top corner and giving the Saints a 1-0 lead. 

Owego responded quickly, putting up three goals in four minutes, leaving the Seton trailing 4-1. A goal from #10 Erin Derr off a free-position shot brought the game within two before a long period of the ball bouncing between both ends of the field without scoring from either team. It was Erin Derr again that ended the stalemate with another free position goal bringing the score to 4-3. 

Alexandra Back was back at it again with two more goals, putting the Saints in a 4-5 lead. Owego bounced back with another two, not ready to go down without a fight. It was attacker #1 Ellie Olsian picking up a ground ball in front of the goal and placing it in the top right corner to tie the game. Owego found the back of the net once more to finish off the half at 7-6. 

The fierce competition continued in the second half, the score bouncing back and forth: 7-7, 8-7, 8-8, to 9-8, with goals by Alexandra Back and #21 Sophia Burr. With ten minutes left in the game, Seton was two goals away from a chance to make their record 3-1.

It was 3 free position shots that gave the Indians a 12-8 lead with four and a half minutes left in the game, caused by defensive fouls, including the dreaded shooting space violation. This foul is one of the hardest to understand and adhere to in women’s lacrosse, defined by U.S. Lacrosse as when a player “with any part of her body guards the goal circle so as to obstruct the free space to the goal, between the ball and the goal circle, which denies the attack the opportunity to shoot safely and encourages shooting at a player.” The difficult rule in addition to calls for extending the arms when defending gave the opposition several free chances to shoot with a clear lane from the 8-meter, putting them in an overwhelming lead. Owego would score one more goal before the final buzzer, leaving the game with a 13-8 victory over our Saints. 

The Saints have reflected upon this game in preparation for their next against the Chenango Valley Warriors on April 19th. The team has been competitive in their games, but it is the small issues that have led to the majority of their losses. As head coach Alex Walsh said, “We could easily be 3-1 right now. In a game, it just comes down to who makes fewer mistakes.” We wish the Saints the best of luck in their next game, hoping they’ve worked out these setbacks in order to turn their season around.