The greatest start in Rowan women’s lacrosse program history has come to an end, as the team suffered their first loss of the season, falling to the University of Scranton Royals 12-11 in overtime. 

Scranton entered the game with a 3-5 record but has a history with the Profs that show they are not just any opponent, facing a tough schedule of their own and having defeated the Profs last season by the exact score of their recent matchup, 12-11. Senior midfielder Molly Green felt the team got too ahead of themselves as a result of their strong start.

“I think that we got really comfortable with what our record was at that point,” Green said. “I think we thought, ‘Okay, we’re gonna win this game,’ but forgot everything that it takes to win a game like that because Scranton is a tough opponent no matter what their record says. They play a lot of tough teams. I think it was just a lot of being complacent.”

Trish Gillen broke the scoreless tie early with a goal in the first period. What ensued was a back-and-forth battle throughout most of the game, but the Profs found themselves in control even when Scranton began to claw back. 

Even with momentum on their side, the Profs’ attack never found the groove they needed to keep Scranton out of the game for good. Calista Burke, who finished with three goals on the day, felt that she and the rest of the attack played too individually rather than working together.

“I think I played better in the first half. I definitely could have done some things different in the second half. I think I just played a little individual, and everyone was playing individually and we weren’t as cohesive as we needed to be on attack,” Burke said. 

“There’s obviously always work to be done,” head coach Lindsay Delaney said. “We were winning the whole game until two minutes left in the fourth quarter and they tied. Winning up by two, up by three, tied, up by one, up by two, tied, so it was on our own mistakes that they ended up winning.”

Molly Green scored her second goal of the day to give the Profs an 11-10 lead late in the fourth period, but Scranton’s Erin Reich tied things up with two minutes left in the fourth period to send the game into overtime. Reich led the Royals with four goals on the day.

The Profs had opportunities to win in overtime but fell as Jillian Lopez of Scranton capitalized for the Royals and secured them the upset victory. 

The Profs now find themselves at 8-1 after the tough loss but have much to be proud of, as their start to the season will go down as the best in program history. 

“It’s really cool, and I think the best part about it was how opposite our record was last season, and I think it shows we were always a really talented group, we always had the ability to do it but we lacked experience and confidence in ourselves,” Green said. 

Even with the strong start, the team knows there’s plenty of season left and they possess the capabilities to go far in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) and beyond. 

“I think it’s a big accomplishment. I think we all take great pride in this, but even though the undefeated season is over, the season is not over and I think there are big things to come with this group of girls,” Burke said. 

The Profs return home for their next matchup with the Ramapo Roadrunners for their first conference matchup of the season on Friday, April 4.

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