WEST CALDWELL, N.J.- The Caldwell University women's lacrosse team came up short in a non-conference game 18-16 to St. Thomas Aquinas College.
The Cougars fall to 1-7 overall, while the Spartans improve to 4-5.
Freshman
Emily Lasko (Jackson, N.J.) put the Cougars on the board with a tally in the first minute of the game. The Spartans answered with three straight goals for a 3-1 lead.
Freshman
Jenna Steelman (Mays Landing, N.J.) and senior
Jessica Collum (Wayne, N.J.) rallied the Cougars back with goals to tie the game at three.
St. Thomas Aquinas scored three of the game's next four goals to pull ahead 6-4. Sophomore
Samantha Murphy (Pompton Plains, N.J.) scored for the Cougars in that stretch.
Caldwell rallied back with seven unanswered goals to take an 11-6 lead late in the first half. Junior
Arden Kassaleh (Pompton Plains, N.J.) netted three goals, while Murphy added a pair of goals. Steelman and Lasko each tallied one goal to help the Cougars build a five-goal lead.
Kassaleh added a late goal but the Spartans tacked on three goals down the stretch to close the gap to 12-9 at halftime.
Murphy and Kassaleh netted goals early in the second half but St. Thomas Aquinas rallied back to even the score at 14 with 13:52 left in the game. The Spartans netted a goal to take a 15-14 lead but Kassaleh answered two minutes later to tie it at 15.
The Spartans added three goals in a row to take a three-goal lead. Kassaleh netted a late goal for the Cougars but fell short in the final minute.
Kassaleh led the way with seven goals and 11 draw controls. Murphy posted four goals, two assists and four draw controls. Collum totaled one goal, one assist, two ground balls and three caused turnovers. Lasko and Steelman each totaled two goals, while senior
Rachel Lucia (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) chipped in three ground balls and three caused turnovers.
The Cougars return to action on Wednesday, April 3 as they host Dominican College in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game at 4 pm at Essex Valley Field in West Caldwell.
