Towson Completes Weekend Sweep of Elon

No. 16 Towson scored two goals in the final two minutes of the first half to seize momentum and then poured it on in the second half of a 19-7 home victory against No. 17 Elon.

It was the second loss of the weekend for the Phoenix (8-5, 0-2 CAA), who fell at league-leading James Madison on Friday.

The Tigers (9-4, 2-1 CAA), led 7-5 late in the first half before Natalie Sulmonte and Carly Telekamp scored goals just 21 seconds apart to give Towson a 9-5 halftime lead.

Kaitlyn Montalbano scored two straight goals to open the second half, paving the way for a 10-goal half for Towson. Four separate players had hat tricks for the Tigers, led by Montalbano’s five-goal effort. Sulmonte and Telekamp each had four goals, Emily Gillingham had three and Samantha Brookhart had six assists.

Towson cashed in on 9-of-12 free position shots while Elon went just 1-of-2 on its free position shot.

Elon had a 17-11 advantage on draw controls, but couldn’t stop Towson’s offense with just four saves on the day. Melissa Birdsell led the Phoenix with two goals.

Angie Benson made four saves to earn the win for Towson, and Kiley Keating played the final 16 minutes and made five saves while allowing just one goal.

Syracuse Rallies to Avoid Virginia Tech Upset Bid

No. 11 Syracuse honored its seniors before its game against Virginia Tech, but it was a pair of freshmen that delivered the key blows for the Orange in a 12-11 come-from-behind overtime victory. Freshman Emily Hawryschuk had four of her five goals in the second half and freshman Mary Rahal scored the game-winner just 1:23 into the overtime period.

Virginia Tech (11-5, 2-3 ACC) led 6-4 at the half and struck first in the second half on a goal by Emma Harden, but the Orange responded with a 5-1 run over the next 16 minutes to take a 9-8 lead. Zan Biedenharm tied it for the Hokies, but Hawryschuk then scored back-to-back goals to give Syracuse an 11-9 lead with 6:27 to play.

That lead held up until the closing minutes. Marissa Davey scored for Virginia Tech with 1:45 left and then Taylor Caskey forced overtime with just four seconds left. In the overtime, Morgan Widner won the draw for the Orange and then Rahal scored the winner on a free position shot. It was just Syracuse’s second free position goal of the game despite taking nine free position shots.

Hawryschuk led Syracuse (11-4, 4-1 ACC) with five goals and senior Devon Parker added three goals and an assist. Widner had 11 draw controls and Bri Stahrr earned the win, making four saves while allowing five goals in 31 minutes.

Davey led the Hokies with three goals and Meagh Graham made 10 saves.

JMU Stays on Top in CAA

James Madison had lost four out of five games, including a loss to unranked Rutgers, heading into Colonial Athletic Association play, but the No. 19 Dukes have righted the ship since battling their conference rivals. JMU downed William & Mary 11-5 on Sunday after opening league play with wins over nationally-ranked Towson and Elon.

On Sunday, JMU (9-5, 3-0 CAA) scored the first six goals of the game and were never threatened by the Tribe. Margaret T. Fogarty and Maddie McDaniel each had three goals for the Dukes and Katie Kerrigan had a goal, five assists and five draw controls. Emily Poelma made eight saves while allowing just four goals to earn the victory in goal for JMU.

Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Top 20 Scoreboard

No. 11 Syracuse 12, Virginia Tech 11 (OT)
No. 16 Towson 19, No. 17 Elon 7
No. 19 James Madison 11, William & Mary 5

Nike/US Lacrosse Division II Top 20 Scoreboard

No. 5 LIU Post 17, Roberts Wesleyan 3
No. 12 Mercy at University of DC, 6:30 pm

Nike/US Lacrosse Division III Top 20 Scoreboard