The Bloomsburg University Women’s Lacrosse team brought their overall record to 4-2 with wins over Shippensburg (Mar. 20) and #20 Millersville (Mar. 25) in consecutive games. Both Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) wins bring the Huskies to a 2-1 record in conference play.
The team’s home win over Shippensburg did not come easy for the Huskies, as two overtime periods were needed on a chilly afternoon at Steph Pettit Stadium for a 17-16 finish. Sophomore attacker Cailyn Gormley, senior attacker Tracy Rusen, and redshirt freshman attacker Grace Kelleher all tallied hat-tricks for the Huskies in the contest.
Bloomsburg then traveled to Millersville where they upset the #20-ranked Marauders by a score of 16-13 on Mar. 25th. Rusen led the Huskies with four goals, while Gormey and junior midfielder Hannah Jaskuta both added hat-tricks in the contest. Kelleher and junior attacker Lindsey Coyle also were in on the action with two goals each.
Sophomore goal-keeper Angela DiPasquale stood strong between the pipes in both games, stopping nine Shippensburg shots and eight Millersville shots. DiPasquale still remains the only goalie on the Bloomsburg roster. “The game against Shippensburg was definitely not our team’s best game,” DiPasquale said. “We came out flat and played slower than usual, however as the game went on we all stepped up when we had to. This game definitely proved to us that in order to be the best, we have to show up each and every day ready to win.”
Bloomsburg managed to outshoot Shippensburg 54-32 in the win, which showed the obvious strength of the Raiders’ freshman goal-keeper Kiki Brasher. Brasher recorded 22 saves on the day which broke a Shippensburg program record that stood for 14 years. “It wasn’t our best game,” Kelleher said. “We did not start out how we wanted to, which hurt us throughout the game when we were down. But as the game went on, we got hungry and started to prove to ourselves how much we wanted that W. Our pre-game warm up wasn’t as good as it usually is which I think was a big factor of our performance in the first minutes of the game. During those two overtimes, my heart was racing. I knew I trusted my defense in getting the ball back to the attack to not only hit the post and goalie four different times, but to finally score and win the game.” But, it was freshman midfielder Abby Bergman who delivered the game-winning goal in double overtime to lift her team to its first PSAC victory of the season.
The win over the 20’th-ranked Millersville club showed a much more confident Bloomsburg team. Although the Huskies again fell behind early 3-0, Bloomsburg still managed to rally and took an 8-7 lead into halftime. The second half was all Bloomsburg, as Jaskuta’s free position goal with 5:39 remaining in the game stretched the Bloomsburg lead to five, making it 16-11. The tally made it Jaskuta’s third of the contest.
“The Sunday win over Millersville was ours,” Kelleher said. “The mindset we all had the practices prior to the game were great which definitely played a major role going into the game. It was my first time seeing Bloomsburg lacrosse play 110% for 60 minutes. We deserved that win.”
Bloomsburg now sits at 5th place in the PSAC, the same position the Huskies were predicted to finish in the conference’s preseason coaches’ poll.
Bloomsburg continued their PSAC play on Wednesday afternoon at Seton Hill, winning 9-8 for their third victory in a row. The Griffins out-shot the Huskies 30-29, but Bloomsburg won the battle in the shots-on-goal department, 23-15. Gormleyled Bloomsburg offensively with three goals while DiPasquale saved seven goals.
The Huskies return home to face Edinboro at Steph Petitt Stadium on Saturday, Mar. 25th. Opening draw is set for 11:00 a.m.
Junior attack/midfielder Hannah Jaskuta has been a key contributor for Bloomsburg this season, scoring 12 goals and dishing out two assists for 12 total team points.
