Sunday, March 30, 2014

A Controversial Finish: Frostburg Women's Lacrosse Falls to Christopher Newport


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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