Pitt women’s lacrosse boldly announced its arrival to college lacrosse on Friday, recording both its first win and first overtime win during the first game it ever played.
“The whole day was special and [included] a whole bunch of firsts, which, although very nerve-racking in the moment, was so exciting,” senior attacker Kierin Ratliff-Kailbourne said. “We came out on top, so it was the best feeling.”
The victory was nearly three years in the making. Coach Emily Boissonneault, hired in the summer of 2019, has spent the past few years building the program from the ground up. All of that work culminated in the Panthers’ thrilling 9-8 overtime win over Duquesne. It was Carlie Leach who made history with the winning tally.
“We’ve been waiting for this a long time, so to come out with a win was really amazing,” Boissonneault said. “It was a big character win for us. We came out with a lot of nerves and made a few more mistakes than we hoped for. For the girls to stay calm under pressure shows that we have an incredible group of women who we’re going to be able to coach to be successful in the ACC.”
The contest was back and forth from the start. The Dukes initially had the upper hand, tallying the first goal, but they never led by more than two goals. An especially strong showing all over the field in the second quarter kept the Panthers in the game.
Pitt excelled off the draw, winning 11 to Duquesne’s one in the second half. This was key to kickstarting the Panthers offense and outscoring the Dukes toward the end of the matchup. Ratliff-Kailbourne played a central role on offense, recording four goals on six shots. Leach, a junior attacker, also came up big, tallying a goal in the third quarter before the game-winning strike later on.
The Panthers defense also came out swinging after halftime, recording 12 ground balls. Graduate student goalkeeper Paulina DiFatta, a transfer from Elon, anchored the defense, notching four saves in the second half. Ratliff-Kailbourne credited the defense with keeping the Panthers in the game, saying the unit was consistent and “never let down.”
The Panthers as a program have five pillars: passion, grit, dedication, character and family. The team focused on grit and family during the week ahead of the game — discussions that Ratliff-Kailbourne said played an important role encouraging the team during Friday’s matchup.
“We knew we could pull out the win,” Ratliff-Kailbourne said. “We knew that it would take a lot, [that] we were going to have to play through the entire 60 minutes. We did not know that there’d be more than that, but we were up to the challenge. Everybody knew how much this win would mean.”
This mentality stuck with Pitt all the way through Leach’s diving game-winner, prompting the team to explode off the bench and celebrate on the field. The team sang “Sweet Caroline” — a Pitt Athletics tradition — and basked in their historic victory.
But notching that first win in overtime wasn’t the only impactful moment for the Panthers on Friday. Even just spending time in the locker room for the first time before a game was significant.
“The pregame, being with the team in the locker room, was probably when I was the most emotional,” Boissonneault said. “Obviously, we wanted to win the game, but the fact that we had gotten to the game and we felt ready and it felt like such an incredible atmosphere, that was the most memorable.”
Ratliff-Kailbourne is no stranger to college lacrosse, having previously played for Pitt’s club team that won the 2019 national championship. Participating in pregame activities like coming out of the locker room, handshakes and hearing the starting lineups announced — rituals she hadn’t been part of for a while — was an important part of the day, she said.
“We’ve had scrimmages and fall games, so the physical aspect of competing and playing hasn’t been lost,” Ratliff-Kailbourne said. “But that special aspect of being able to put on a uniform and play for something where it counts was so exciting.”