Leave it to Alyssa Parrella to score the winner. But it was Alexa Mattera who made it possible.
Trailing by one goal with under six minutes remaining, Mattera scored to knot the score at 9. Parrella scored the eventual winner just over two minutes later as Hofstra downed CAA rival Towson 10-9 at Tiger Field in Towson, Md.
Mattera was Hofstra’s hero even before that tying goal. Down 7-5, Arianna Esposito scored her 11th goal of the year to put Hofstra with one. Mattera then scored twice in a span of one minute and 14 seconds, putting Hofstra ahead 8-7.
Towson rebounded, though. Blair Pearre’s 43rd goal of the year tied the score at 8 with 14:40 remaining. Then Madison Hobbes assisted Kerri Thornton, giving Towson a 9-8 edge.
Not wanting to see her good work go for naught, Mattera then tied the score at 9.
Hofstra was a perfect 21-for-21 on clears, while Towson was 18-for-22 — thus helping Hofstra overcome a 13-8 disadvantage on draws.
Hofstra is now 5-5 (1-2 CAA), and Towson is 8-6 (0-3 CAA) and on the heels of a four-game losing streak. These sides play again next Saturday at Hofstra to close their regular-season schedules.
Tufts Tops Dartmouth
It started with a seven-goal lead at halftime and Tufts never looked back, as Molly Laliberty made 14 saves (on 19 Dartmouth shots) to lead the charge in an 11-5 win over the Division I school. Emily Games scored four goals, and Catherine Lawless scored three goals.
It was Tufts’ second game in two days, but it showed no signs of fatigue — especially Laliberty. She made 11 stops in the win over Bates Saturday and followed it up with an even better performance Sunday.
This is Tufts’ first win over a Division I school since 1983 (an 11-10 win over Boston U.).
Nike / US Lacrosse Top 20
No. 9 Jacksonville 22, Liberty 11
No. 10 Florida 17, Old Dominion 4
No. 11 Loyola 17, Furman 6
No. 12 Richmond 18, George Mason 15
No. 19 Denver 19, Villanova 9
Other Scores
Arizona State 20, San Diego State 11
Cincinnati 14, East Carolina 13
Coastal Carolina 13, Stetson 8
Davidson 17, VCU 10
Hofstra 10, Towson 9
James Madison 15, Elon 9
La Salle 20, Duquesne 14
Marquette 16, Butler 10
Tufts 11, Dartmouth 5
UConn 16, Georgetown 12
UMass 18, Saint Joseph’s 13
Vanderbilt 10, Temple 6
Youngstown State 23, Kent State 20