Explorers wind up on short end in overtime thriller with Villanova

By Mike McDonald
Collegian Editor
April 4, 2007

The Explorer women’s lacrosse team lost a tough one to Villanova Sunday, as the Wildcats pulled it out in overtime by a score of 10-9. The game was held at a neutral site, with Temple’s Geasey Field hosting all the action.

The scoring got off to a slow start in this one, as neither team found the back of the net until La Salle senior Tiffany Grossi scored with 20:30 remaining in the first half.

La Salle then used two consecutive goals by freshman Jillian Davis to take a 3-0 advantage with 11:44 left in the opening half.

However, Villanova outscored La Salle 5-2 in the final 11 minutes of the half to go to the break with the score tied at five.

The Explorers came flying out of the gate in the second half, as junior Emily Bonczek scored her only goal of the contest just 28 seconds into the second half to put La Salle up by one. La Salle junior Erika Matthews scored the next goal of the game to put the Explorers up by two.

Villanova wasn’t dead yet, and they battled back over the course of the second half. La Salle was up 9-8 with 5:14 remaining when Villanova’s Shannon Sullivan re-entered the game after seven minutes on the bench. Just 37 seconds after coming back into the game, Sullivan netted the equalizer for the Wildcats.Villanova wasn’t dead yet, and they battled back over the course of the second half. La Salle was up 9-8 with 5:14 remaining when Villanova’s Shannon Sullivan re-entered the game after seven minutes on the bench. Just 37 seconds after coming back into the game, Sullivan netted the equalizer for the Wildcats.

The final 4:37 of regulation ticked away without any scoring, and the game went to overtime. Six minutes were added to the clock for the extra period.

Villanova took possession of the opening draw, and they were able to strike first in overtime. Sullivan scored her third goal of the day to put the Wildcats up by one with 3:22 left to play.

This was the backbreaker for the Explorers, as they could not muster a goal in the remainder of the overtime period. The final score was Villanova 10, La Salle 9.

In this frustrating loss for the Explorers, one player’s performance stood out among the rest. Davis scored four goals on the day to lead all players. Because of this game, the freshman was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week for the third straight week. She has now scored four goals in a game four times, and she is averaging 2.75 goals per game, which places her seventh overall in the Atlantic 10.

The Explorers dropped to 4-4 on the season with the loss, while Villanova moved to 4-5 with the win. La Salle will open up conference play on Thursday when they host the St. Bonaventure Bonnies at 3 p.m.

mcdonaldm2@lasalle.edu