The eighth-ranked University of Mary Washington women's lacrosse team dropped a 12-7 decision at third ranked Salisbury University on Saturday in the 2018 Capital Athletic Conference Championship in Salisbury. The Eagles slip to 16-4 on the season.
In a back and forth battle that featured two of the top defensive units in the nation, Salisbury scored the game's first goal nearly 10 minutes into play. The Eagles answered with a man-up goal from Paige Haskins with 18:10 left, and grabbed the lead at 14:53 on an Allison Davis score.
Salisbury knotted the score at 2-2 with 12:33 left in the opening stanza, but UMW regained the advantage at 11:30 on a score from Julia Albert, her 40th of the season. The Sea Gulls took the lead with goals at 10:36 and 8:44 on the clock, but the Eagles tied the score again with 7:36 remaining on a goal from Kristen Kunaniec, assisted by Holly Hudson.
Salisbury led, 5-4, with a goal at 6:00 left, but Kunaniec scored goals with 4:32 left in the first and opened the second half with a goal to push the Eagles ahead at 6-5 with 21:17 left in regulation. Assists were credited to Hudson and Kirsten Littlefield.
The Sea Gulls answered with the next five goals to take a 10-6 advantage with 7:26 remaining. The Eagles stemmed the tide with a score from Albert on a Hope Lockwood assist with 5:03 left, but Salisbury scored the next two goals to take a 12-7 lead with 2:58 on the clock.
Salisbury led in shots, 31-15, as well as ground balls, 20-12. UMW led in draw controls, 12-9. UMW Goalkeeper Hanna Ashby recorded nine saves for the Eagles, while Gianna Falcone had seven for SU. Kunaniec led the Eagles with three goals, while Albert scored two.
The Eagles will await their fate for the NCAA Tournament, which begins next weekend. The announcement for the NCAA Tournament will air live on Sunday night at 10:00 pm at NCAA.com.