After traveling to Florida last week for two games on the road, the Rowan women’s lacrosse team returned to Glassboro this past Wednesday, March 23, for a night under the lights.

They hosted the University of Scranton, who entered the game with the same record as Rowan at 2-4. Unfortunately for the Profs, the team fell to 2-5 after losing to Scranton by a final score of 13-7.

The game started off with a 4-1 run by Scranton in the first quarter, however, Rowan brought the fight and would head into halftime trailing by only two goals at 5-3.

Two of the three goals were scored by fifth-year attacker Ashley Lechliter, who finished the game with four total scores. Despite Lechliter’s strong outing, though, the Profs could not keep up with Scranton in the second half.

In the third quarter, Scranton shut out Rowan after scoring five-straight goals. This gave them a 10-3 advantage heading into the fourth frame and, despite Rowan’s effort to make a comeback, Scranton ultimately emerged victorious by six goals.

Rowan had several opportunities to score with their 19 shots on goal, but 11 saves from Scranton’s starting goalkeeper, Lauren Boldis, kept the Profs’ damage to a minimum.

On the other side of the ball, Scranton pummeled Rowan’s defense with 26 total shots. Mel Rodgers, a junior goalkeeper for the Profs, made four saves in her first start of the season. However, 13 goals got behind her to give Scranton the advantage. 

From the players’ perspective, the loss was a result of not connecting throughout the entire game. 

“We just need to start putting the four quarters together to see the outcomes we want,” Erin Scioli, a junior defender, said. “The teamwork is there, and we all stayed positive throughout the game. If we keep that up, we will eventually see the outcome that we want.”

Scioli continued to remain optimistic after the game, crediting her teammates for not quitting and remaining energetic. 

“Especially after the other team scores a goal, it is great seeing our teammates there still cheering us on,“ Scioli said. “It helps us push and move forward. We are hungry. We are here to win this year.”

Similarly, the coaches are also ready to move forward quickly and continue on the season.

“[There is] a whole lot of season left,” Assistant Coach Lindsey-Kate Smith said. “There are a lot of things that we will obviously continue to work on: turnovers, attacking, and not placing the ball around the goalie. But we will learn from this.”

Rowan will have less than two days to work on some of those things before their next game, which will take place at noon this Saturday, March 26. Rowan is slated to take on Eastern University, who sit at 1-5 on the season, at home.

Will the Profs be able to bounce back this weekend, or will their struggles linger on into the rest of the season?

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