Falcons’ Comeback Upended as Buccaneers Take Close Victory

BELOIT, Wis. - The Concordia Wisconsin women's lacrosse team dropped to the Beloit Buccaneers on Saturday afternoon, falling in a close 19-17 contest. The day saw sophomore Katelyn Cardinale (Mount Laurel, N.J.) record six goals for the second consecutive game, becoming the first Falcon to accomplish the feat. Ultimately, Concordia was unable to stave off a late surge from the Buccaneers, who clinched their seventh win of the season.

After an early Buccaneers goal to open the match, four different Falcons scored in a 5:39 span to catapult the team ahead in the contest. Cardinale and seniors Anna Gong (Phoenix, Ariz.), Eliana Fuchs (Brookfield, Wis.) and Savannah Schweiger (Eagle, Wis.) represented the scoring quartet while Cardinale tallied another before the end of the quarter, which concluded with the Falcons holding a 5-4 advantage.

Beloit's Johanna McNair and Maggie Mudd combined for five goals in the second quarter as part of an effort that left the Buccaneers with a slim 10-8 lead at halftime. Denting the margin for Concordia were junior Kami McCardle (Jackson, Wis.), Cardinale and Gong, as each contributed a goal in the frame.

The Falcons posted a trio of free position shots exiting the half, as Fuchs, Cardinale and McCardle found the scorebook once again in the third quarter of play. However, Beloit still entered the final fifteen minutes of play with an extra three goals in hand, holding a 14-11 lead.

Concordia managed to erase the deficit in the opening minutes of the fourth, rattling off three consecutive goals to tie the game. McCardle and Gong took responsibility for the first two goals of the surge, while freshman Carolyn Bourgeault (Kenmore, N.Y.) picked up her first tally of the day to even the contest at 14.

Just 28 seconds after the score was leveled, Maya DeGeorge notched her fifth goal of the game to put the Buccaneers back in front. Cardinale responded with her own fifth goal of the outing a short while afterward to counter the effort, restoring the tie.

            The back-and-forth exchange went another round as Maggie Mudd put Beloit ahead once more, 22 seconds after the equalizer. Yet again, Cardinale squared the game on Concordia's behalf, this time at 16 goals apiece. To break the pattern, Fuchs picked up her third goal of the game for the Falcons to take the team's first lead since the second quarter with 7:22 remaining to play.

The Buccaneers strung together a scoring run of their own to close the game, taking the final three goals of the contest to secure a 19-17 win.

Freshman goaltender Parks Cawthray (Oakville, Ontario) recorded six saves for the Falcons.

Still in contention for the NACC Tournament, Concordia will fight for a chance at the postseason in its regular-season finale on April 27 against the 3-10 Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks.