LA CROSSE, Wis. — The UW-River Falls women's lacrosse team lost its road matchup at UW-La Crosse, 14-13, on Wednesday, April 2. UWRF trailed by as much as six goals late in the third and rallied to cut the lead down to just one goal late, but ultimately fell by a one-goal margin.
The loss snapped a five-game winning streak and brought UWRF's record to 7-3 overall and 1-1 in WIAC play.
The game marked the first annual Bird Bowl, with both programs joining efforts to support LaCROSSe Out Cancer, an organization in which lacrosse organizations nationwide raise funds for pediatric cancer research. Donations to the cause can be made here.
The game started off scoreless for the first three and a half minutes, but then the Eagles went on a four-goal streak that put the Falcons behind 4-0 at the 4:58 mark of the first period. Murphi Specht and Brooke Glumack scored for UWRF within the final two minutes, cutting the deficit in half to 4-2.
In the second period, UW-La Crosse added two goals within a span of 1:04 midway through, pushing the Eagles' lead to 6-2 with 9:33 left in the first half. Avery Watzke scored off an assist by Kinlee Knutson to trim the deficit to 6-3, but La Crosse rallied two more goals before the half to lead 8-3 at the break.
Off of the halftime intermission, the Falcons and Eagles both scored three goals each through the first nine minutes of action — Samantha Hayek, Spect, and Glumack scored for the Falcons. The third quarter, which was the highest-scoring frame of the game, saw 10 total goals. Watzke and Hayek scored again for the Falcons in the final three minutes of the quarter, but the Eagles also added two more goals to take a 13-8 lead into the final period.
Glumack and Hayek both scored in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, but UW-La Crosse also scored two goals to maintain a 14-9 lead. The Falcons saw traction with back-to-back goals at 8:55 and 8:30 by Hayek and Averie McGill, trimming the lead to 14-11.
Glumack scored her fourth goal of the game with 3:02 remaining, bringing the score to 14-12. After a caused turnover by goalkeeper Isabel Orton earned possession back for the Falcons, UWRF rushed down field and saw another goal by Glumack to bring the game within one goal with 1:21 remaining.
UWRF got a solid shot with 35 seconds remaining, but UW-La Crosse goalkeeper Stefania Rossi made the save to secure the victory for the Eagles.
Glumack led the way with six points off five goals and one assist. Hayek finished with four points off three goals and one assist — she also led the Falcons with a game-high three caused turnovers. Goalies Isabel Orton and Annelise Rommeck both made two saves each.
Up next, the Falcons will head to Georgetown, Texas to face Southwestern on April 5 and Colorado College on April 6.
