BINGHAMTON — Junior Lauren Smolensky broke a school record totaling nine assists, as the Canisius women’s lacrosse team defeated Binghamton, 18-12, for its second win of the season Tuesday afternoon from the Bearcats Sports Complex.
The Griffs got the scoring going with a goal from junior Jen Reininger at 28:20 of the first half, and after trailing 2-1, would respond with three straight goals to take a 4-2 lead at the 18:22 mark. Each of the three goals over the run came off of free position shots, with junior Erica Evans scoring the first and sophomore Tessa Chad burying home the other two attempts.
The Bearcats found their way back into the contest with two consecutive goals, making the score four all at 16:27.
From there, the Blue and Gold’s offense exploded with a 7-1 run over the final 11:27 of the first half to secure a comfortable 11-5 halftime lead. Over the stretch, senior Ashley Bull scored three goals, while freshman Bryar Cummings doubled her season goal total with two tallies. Also scoring during the run were freshman Jourdan Roemer and Chad.
During the first half of play Smolensky matched her previous career high for assists in a game, with five.
The junior would add to her record-breaking day with her lone goal of the afternoon to open second half scoring at 27:00, giving the Griffs a 12-5 lead.
During the second half, the Golden Griffins would expand their lead to as much as eight, gaining a 16-8 lead at 14:59, before the eventual 18-12 victory. Roemer would add three goals down the stretch, while Chad, junior Rena Brown, and junior Allie Stewart also recorded goals.
Junior goalkeeper Rebecca VanLaeken gained the victory in net moving to 2-3 on the season. VanLaeken made seven saves in the contest, while allowing the 12 goals.
With the win, Canisius moves to 2-3 overall, while the Bearcats are now 1-4 to begin the year.
Coach Teeter’s Postgame Comments
“From the start we played a much better type of lacrosse than we did the previous few games. As a staff we challenged the girls this week in practice and they really stepped up.”
“From draw controls, to clears, it was a really good first half of play. Ashley was all over the field for us and really played well. Her and (junior) Nicole Nelson showed a lot of heart out there today. Binghamton face guarded Erica today and the rest of the team stepped up.”
“Lauren did a tremendous job of stepping up for us today when we needed her. She played a flawless game and we are really happy that she was able to break a school record.”
“It was nice to get back to on the winning side of things today. Binghamton played us tough and it was a hard-fought game. We were able to get a lot of bodies in their today and it was a great experience for our girls.”
The Griffs will next faceoff against Delaware Friday at 6 p.m., before taking on defending national champion North Carolina on Sunday at noon.
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