Molly Green shoots the ball. Green recorded the game-winning goal on Wednesday. - Photo via Rowan Athletics
In case you needed another reason to believe that this year is different for Rowan lacrosse, you got it, after the Profs took down No. 4-ranked Franklin & Marshall on a last-second heroic act from Molly Green right in front of the Glassboro faithful on Wednesday, April 9.
“That was the best win in program history,” Green said. “Best win since I’ve been here. Just a really great time win.”
It was a battle between two heavyweights, as Franklin & Marshall entered the game with a 10-2 record, with four wins coming against opponents who were ranked inside the top-10 record. Meanwhile, Rowan was coming off a dominant 22-1 win over Ramapo to push their record to 9-1, marking the best start to a season in school history.
Rowan drew first blood, with Green and Alexis Lowry scoring the game’s first goals, but a late goal from Lauren Pittman cut the Profs’ deficit to one after the initial 15 minutes of play. From there, it was a back-and-forth affair, as the two teams combined for eight ties and four lead changes across the next 44 minutes and change, with neither side holding a lead over two goals.
“We knew we were going to have to fight for it, and we were in a lot of situations like that last year, where it was very tight in the end,” Green said. “We didn’t come out on top ever last year, so I think that really just built our character. We had to face a lot of adversity, so we were able to accomplish it today.”
That two-goal lead showed itself in the fourth quarter, as Rowan held a 10-8 advantage with 11:32 to go, but a pair of goals from Alexandra Proefrock and Pittman tied the game up at 10 with a tick under three minutes to go.
Then with just 1:43 to go, the Diplomats threatened to suck the life out of the Rowan Soccer & Lacrosse Complex and take the lead late after controlling the initial draw and coming up with a huge scoring opportunity, as Lydia Cassilly lined up for a free-position shot, but Mel Rodgers made an incredible save for her 13th of the game to keep the score locked at 10 and give the Profs possession.
“Everyone’s seeing what we always knew was her potential, and it’s consistent and it starts with her work ethic,” head coach Lindsay Delaney said. “So those moments, I’m not really anxious about. I kind of assume she’ll be fine. But let’s not underestimate Katie’s [Montenero] presence on the eight-meter, shooter stick side… I think we all breathe better with Mel in cage and Katie on stick side.”
Then, Green took over and iced the game for the Profs. After initially working some clock, Green was fouled with 30 seconds left and lined up to shoot a free-position shot from the left side of the goal. After a minute’s worth of stoppage, Green hit the shot of her life.
“I checked with my coach really fast just to make sure I should go because we did get a man-up opportunity,” Green said. “Once she gave me the signal, I was like ‘Okay, I’m just going to go in as hard as I can to try and bury it.’”
The Profs were just one draw control away from the upset, and after 12 seconds of chaos, the ball found the stick of Hannah Lombardo, who promptly ran away from seven Diplomat defenders before passing it to Jenna O’Neill and eventually, Molly Green, who, with two seconds left, fired the ball towards the goal from midfield, dropped her stick, and ran into the arms of Lombardo before getting mobbed by the rest of the team at the Prof logo.
“It was just pure bliss,” Green said. “We all just felt like, ‘Wow, we can really do something this year.’ We went into that game knowing that we should beat them, though, so I think it just proves everything that we’ve been thinking all season long.”
While the win marked the second victory over a ranked team this season, it became the first win over a top-10 team since 2010, when the Profs took down TCNJ.
“I think it’s surprising to a lot of people who don’t get to watch this group every day,” Delaney said. “To me, it was just them playing at their best collectively, and I’m really excited and happy for them. They’ve always been talented.. they just put all the pieces together.”
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