Not only was it pouring rain in Glassboro this past Wednesday, March 9, but the goals were also raining in as Rowan women’s lacrosse unloaded on Washington (MD) College at home.
Rowan came out with a 15-7 victory, which put them back into the win column after dropping their previous two games on the road. This was a big win for them, as Washington came into the game ranked as the nation’s 24th best team.
The Profs jumped out with an early lead against Washington, ripping off three goals in the first nine minutes of action. Going into halftime up 8-3, it looked like Rowan was well on their way to cruising to a victory after they forced seven turnovers and seemingly gained all momentum.
After the game, Head Coach Lindsay Delaney credited her team’s ability to know how to force these turnovers.
“It has everything to do with them,” Coach Delaney said. “It’s just them trusting their teammates and knowing that if they go through sticks, somebody is going to be there to help them. It is all instinct, as well as them understanding where their bodies are.”
Despite their strong start and performance on the defensive end, their foes would not go down without a fight. In the third quarter, Washington scored three goals, which was just as many as they had put in during the entire first half.
While memories of losing the lead in their previous game against Stevens Institute of Technology may have crept into their heads, Rowan was able to score two goals in the final minute of the third frame to help them regain momentum.
“I’m really proud of them,” Coach Delaney said. “Third quarter, we were up 8-4 similarly to when we were up 7-3 on Stevens. It was like deja vu, a little bit, but we called a timeout and regrouped. I think that was a huge difference, and I am super proud.”
The fourth quarter was probably the Profs’ strongest of the night after outscoring Washington 5-1 to close out the win.
Rowan’s leading scorer for the day was senior attackman Julianna Corson, who had four goals and one assist for five total points. Alongside her, midfielder Jamie Cutrera, a junior, and attackman Molly Green, a freshman, had three goals each.
Following the game, Green emphasized how important it was for her team’s confidence to bounce back in this game and score the big upset.
“It feels really good,” Green said. “There were definitely moments in our last two games where we weren’t working together, and it wasn’t coming through. Today, we were able to put it all together, which felt really great. After every goal, we just kept saying ‘don’t let up,’ which we didn’t.”
Rowan will continue to not let up, as they hit the road again next week for two more games against Rhodes College and Denison University. They are currently 0-2 when playing away from home, so these two upcoming games are crucial tests for the Profs and can go a long way in helping them achieve their season goals.
“We definitely want to win the NJAC [New Jersey Athletic Conference],” Green said. “That is our main goal. Then, we want to get into the NCAA [tournament], but first, we have to play our best all season long.”
If Rowan can continue to play as they did against the nationally-ranked Washington team, then they certainly have a legitimate shot at fulfilling those goals. However, they will first have a week to enjoy their latest victory, as their next game is not until March 16 at Rhodes College.
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