Senior, Malory Brunett
The Frostburg State woman’s lacrosse team lost a nail-biter in double overtime to a tough Christopher Newport team.
Despite the constant falling of rain, Frostburg came out strong, leading 5-2
going into halftime thanks to two first half goals by senior captain, Malory
Brunett. Marissa Howk, Megan Hart, and Megan White each added a goal to the
scoreboard in the first half. The Christopher Newport Captain’s weathered the
Bobcat’s momentum and scored six second half goals. As the fourth quarter
neared its conclusion the lady Bobcats were trailing the Captains 7-8. With
just under a minute left in regulation, senior captain Megan White tied the
game with a well-placed shot. Following the draw won by Christopher Newport,
the Captains attempted to run the clock out by stalling, but freshmen defender
Emani Byrd made an athletic play to cause a turnover which led to another
transition goal by freshmen midfielder, Megan Hart. After what appeared to be
the game-winning goal, the referees checked Megan Hart’s stick and determined
that it was illegal according to NCAA regulations. The would-be game-winning
goal was waved off and play was continued in overtime. After another stalemate
in the first overtime, the Bobcats eventually were defeated in the second
overtime by a final score of 10-8.
The referees’ decision to wave off
Megan Hart’s game-winning goal in regulation caused a bit of controversy in
Frostburg. Players, parents, and fans at the game audibly expressed their
disapproval at the game-altering call. Malory Brunett, who finished the game
with a hat-trick, voices her grievances: “Obviously if you press a ball hard
enough into a wet stick when it’s been raining the entire game it will become
illegal. We tighten our sticks after almost every practice to make sure it’s
legal.” Malory then went on to credit her teammates for never giving up and
playing with a lot of heart. Malory says, “Megan White played really well and
scored a big goal to send the game into overtime. Megan Hart scored the “game-winner”,
and Emani Byrd caused the turnover that led to Hart’s goal.”
Tied for
second in goals scored with 14 this season, Megan White once again proves her
worth in her efforts against Christopher Newport. Megan finished the contest
with an assist and two goals, one of which was at the most crucial time with 58
seconds left in regulation. Although Megan would have liked to win the game,
she still remains optimistic going forward into the season. Megan says, “We
proved that we can play with anyone. They’re a really good team that we should
have beaten, and I think that we give us confidence.”
Senior midfielder Brittney Miller
also took away the positive aspects of the game. Miller says, “We came out and
played the entire 60 minutes. There was never a moment where we could have said
‘I wish we tried harder or ran faster’ because we gave it our all.” Brittney
should feel proud with the way they competed against Christopher Newport as the
Captains have finished first in the IWLCA conference nine consecutive times. Although
the Bobcats are currently 1-9 on the season, playing Christopher Newport so
closely gives them hope going into their next game against Southern Virginia.
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