No. 25 Stevens Takes Down No. 12 Wesleyan 10-9 in Instant Classic
Jonathan McCue
MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (March 28, 2018) – Stephanie Schnelzer made 11 saves and Kyra Bednarski posted a hat trick – including the game-winner with 2:14 on the clock – as the No. 25 Stevens Institute of Technology women's lacrosse team upended No. 12 Wesleyan University 10-9 on the road Wednesday night. Mackenzie Metzler also scored three times in the tense game that saw an incredible nine ties and nine lead changes.
The Ducks fell behind 3-1 early on, but scored the final three goals of the first half to take a 7-5 lead into the locker room.
The Cardinals countered with the first three goals of the second period, including two by Caitlin Wood, to re-take the lead 8-7.
Julianna Ricci finally put an end to the run at 21:52 with an assist from Cami Santor, and the two teams were tied for the next nine minutes of game time.
It was Wesleyan who notched the next goal on a free position shot at 13:43, but Metzler knotted the game for the final time two minutes later to send the teams down the stretch all-square.
It was an edgy endgame, with neither team scoring for nearly 10 minutes. Schnelzer made seven of her 11 saves in the second half to keep the Ducks even.
Finally, with just 2:14 on the clock Bednarski earned a free position and converted it, giving Stevens its first lead since halftime. The Cardinals buzzed around the goal desperate for the equalizer. They managed three shots in the final minute, including a free-position, but Schnelzer was up to the task on all of them to earn her sixth win of the season.
"We played big when we needed to," said head coach
Celine Cunningham. We played an entire 60 minutes and played with poise in pressure situations. Steph made some big saves on the last minute that were huge."
- Indeed, Schnelzer made 11 saves, in contrast to her Cardinal counterpart, who managed just five.
- Stevens was out-shot 33-22 in the game
- Wesleyan also enjoyed a big advantage in draw controls (15-6) and led ground balls 14-12
- The Cardinals were a perfect 7-7 on clears
- Hannah Condren and Tori Bruce led Stevens field players with two ground balls each
- Santor led the team with two forced turnovers
- Stevens has not beaten a team ranked higher than No. 12 since knocking off No. 3 TCNJ on April 29, 2010