Rowan women’s lacrosse has proved that their hot start is no fluke, continuing the best start in program history after upsetting the Christopher Newport University Captains by a final score of 14-12. The win pushed their undefeated campaign one game further, putting the Profs at a perfect 8-0 near the midway point of the season. 

Christopher Newport was the No. 24 nationally-ranked team in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) standings heading into the matchup, and they proved to be the Profs toughest matchup yet. 

Both teams went back and forth offensively in the first period, with Fiona Lockhart, Calista Burke, and Molly Green all scoring for the Profs. The Captains pushed the pace, however, and found themselves leading 4-3 at the end of the period. 

The second period was all Christopher Newport, as mistakes and turnovers that resembled last season’s team plagued the Profs and allowed the Captains to capitalize, building a 8-3 lead heading into halftime. Head coach Lindsay Delaney felt the majority of the goals Christopher Newport scored in the first half were courtesy of her team’s mistakes.

“Their first seven goals were capitalized off our turnovers, like a direct result of a turnover or a card,” Delaney said. “So you can’t really play against a nice opponent like that, so whether it was just our recklessness or trying to be physical, they just took advantage of it.”

Junior Fiona Lockhart felt the team’s relaxation throughout this season as a result of their comfortable victories allowed them to be startled early as their first major challenge appeared. Lockhart led the team in goals on the day with four.

“I don’t know if it was anything really they were doing that was special,” Lockhart said. “I think it was like us, and our vibe being off at the beginning, and I think that we were getting a bit comfortable in the winning position that we were in, and obviously they made us uncomfortable really quick.”

The Profs came out of the break as the dominant force they’d been all season, scoring six consecutive goals in the third period to take a 9-8 lead. The Captains were able to tie things up before the end of the period with a goal from Elena Sorkin, who led the team with five goals.

What followed in the final period was a continued back-and-forth affair as it had been in the first period, where the Profs looked to overcome the adversity that had haunted them in close games last season. 

The Profs lineup almost exactly mirrors the group they had during their frustrating campaign last season, which saw many games slip away in the final period because of critical mistakes, but Delaney feels those past losses have helped mold this team into performing up to their potential this season.

“I think that they’ve always just been talented and they’ve always known their talent. It was just cleaning up the small intangibles of the game. So this year it’s just been believing in themselves and the system they play in. Last year I think they were still uncertain if they could and were good enough and now they just know they are good enough,” Delaney said. 

“It definitely felt different than last year,” Lockhart said. “When we were done last year it’d be like, ‘Oh my gosh we’re gonna lose’ but I don’t think any of us had that thought in our mind, it was just, ‘How do we win? How do we get this win because we need it.'”

Both teams traded goals until it was knotted up at 12 with five minutes left in regulation. The Profs’ new-found mental fortitude paid off, as junior Elaina Corson scored with three minutes left in regulation to retake the lead. 

“It was super hype, glad I could do that, and the energy after that we knew we had the win in the bag,” Corson said.

Corson’s goal gave the Profs all the energy they needed to hold off Christopher Newport at the end, as their defense held strong and Corson added another goal with less than a minute remaining to ice the comeback victory and continue the Profs’ perfect season.

“Last year, we had however many games we lost by one, and this year it’s definitely a new mindset that we have, especially during the [Christopher] Newport game since it was so back-and-forth and came down to the last goal, but I think it’s just not worrying about the things we can’t control and just focusing on the things we can control,” Corson said. 

The Profs haven’t cracked the national rankings yet, but did receive votes in the March 24 standings. The road trip wraps up for the team on Wednesday, March 26, and they will head home on Friday, April 4 to face the Ramapo College Roadrunners at 5:00 p.m.

For comments/questions about this story DM us on Instagram @TheWhitSports or email sports@thewhitonline.com