HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The Juniata women's lacrosse team battled valiantly but ultimately lost against McDaniel College, 14-11, on a chilly and windy Wednesday afternoon at Gibbel Stadium.
Payton Goodrich totaled seven points on the day (5g, 2a) to go with four ground balls, five draw controls, and three caused turnovers. Grace Gibbs tallied two goals, an assist, five ground balls, six draw controls, and four caused turnovers, while Skyler Stevens had two goals. Kyndall Yeager and Kelliann Drummond had one goal apiece. Lauren Metzger was active defensively with four caused turnovers and two ground balls, while Maeve Kuser had three caused turnovers and three ground balls. Caoilinn Heatley made four saves in goal while Mikayla Bodley made one, they each scooped up two ground balls.
The Green Terror scored the first three goals of the game before Goodrich set up Yeager for the Eagles' first of the day. The second quarter saw the teams trade goals in a fast and furious five-minute span as the score went from 4-1 to 6-3. Drummond scored on a free position while a woman down, and Goodrich found Stevens heading towards goal for another as JC got within one. McDaniel answered with a free-position goal in the final 33 seconds, but Gibbs danced down the left side of the goal, spun, and found Goodrich in the middle, who fired past the keeper to bring JC within one.
The third quarter followed the same script as the teams just traded goals throughout the quarter, with Gibbs pulling Juniata within one in the final 12 seconds for the third time as she waltzed through the defense and put it in the bottom of the net.
McDaniel scored the first three of the fourth in a six-minute span to lead 13-9. Goodrich scored twice 36 seconds apart to bring JC back within two, but the Eagles ran out of gas.
Juniata opens conference play on the road at the University of Scranton on Saturday at 1:00.
