Box Score
Ewing, NJ… The showdown of the top two women's lacrosse teams in the national rankings lived up to its billing as top-ranked Salisbury University pulled out an 11-10 overtime win at second-ranked The College of New Jersey on Saturday.
The Sea Gulls netted the only goal in the six-minute overtime as senior Sue Ackermann (Sykesville, MD/Liberty) scored on a free-position shot with 3:11 remaining.
TCNJ had its chance to force another overtime period getting possession in the Salisbury end of the field in the final minute, but the Sea Gulls were able to force a turnover and ran out the clock.
The loss ended TCNJ's 17-game winning streak at Lions' Stadium and it was also the first win for Salisbury in Ewing in the long series with the Lions. TCNJ held a lopsided 22-2 edge in the series, including an 11-0 mark at home, dating back to 1988.
The win kept Salisbury undefeated on the season at 16-0, while the Lions suffered their first loss this season falling to 9-1.
The Lions forced the extra session when freshman Leigh Mitchell (Mt. Laurel, NJ/Lenape) netted an unassisted goal with 2:05 left in regulation as the teams were tied at 10.
The game was close throughout as neither team led by more than two goals and they were tied on eight different occasions.
TCNJ opened the scoring on a goal from senior Toni-Anne Cavallo (Cedar Grove, NJ/West Essex), but Salisbury accounted for the next two with both coming off of Ackermann's stick.
The Lions erased that deficit with goals by senior Karen Doane (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) and sophomore Angela Wilmer (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West), but again Ackermann tied the game before the Sea Gulls tacked on two more goals to go up 5-3.
TCNJ took advantage of two free-position shots, one each by Wilmer and senior Diane Haddeland (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) to knot the game at five goals apiece.
The teams traded goals in the final minutes of the opening half to go into the half deadlocked at 6-6.
The goals came in spurts in the second half with TCNJ getting the first two and Salisbury the next pair. The Lions then went ahead on a goal by Cavallo off of a nice feed from junior Katie Reuther (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North), but that lead was short lived as Ashleigh Gender (Pasadena, MD/Chesapeake) tallied consecutive goals for Salisbury setting up Mitchell's game-tying score later in the half.
Ackermann led all scorers with seven goals and now has 59 on the season.
Doane, Cavallo, Mitchell and Wilmer each had a pair of goals for TCNJ.
Senior Caitlin Gregory (Winslow, NJ/Eastern) collected eight saves making four in each half.
Junior Sonja Stuart (Rockville, MD/Good Counsel) backstopped the win with 11 saves.
The Lions return to action on Tuesday, April 15 hosting Elizabethtown College at 4 p.m., while the Sea Gulls don't play again until April 17 at the University of Mary Washington.
