No. 23 Stevens Falls in NCAA Second Round to No. 9 Bowdoin
Jonathan McCue
BRUNSWICK, Maine (May 13, 2018) – Newly-minted Empire 8 Player of the Year Kyra Bednarski finished with four goals, but the No. 23 Stevens Institute of Technology women's lacrosse team dropped an 18-8 decision to No. 9 Bowdoin in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship on Sunday.
The Ducks scored first less than two minutes into the game when Cami Santor scored unassisted. Bowdoin got the next two markers in less than a minute, but Stevens re-took the lead when Bednarski and Emily Shanklin scored to make the count 3-2 Ducks at 22:30.
The Polar Bears scored the next three times to jump back in front, though goals by Santor (9:46) and Bednarski (4:39) kept Stevens within one. But Bowdoin added two late goals to lead 8-5 at the break
As the second half began, the Ducks scored two of the first three goals to close to within two, but an eight-goal run by the Polar Bears chewed up 18 of the final 20 minutes of the game and put the contest out of reach.
Katie Miller and
Amanda Anderson both scored twice in that stretch for Bowdoin.
Stevens' Stephanie Schnelzer made 16 saves in goal to keep the Ducks within striking distance for much for much of the game.
"I was proud of our efforts today," said head coach
Celine Cunningham. "We played a very talented Bowdoin team and we certainly gave them a run for their money. It's always tough to end your season with a loss, but I hope we can remember all the successes we had the entire season. It is a very special group that accomplished a great deal this year, including a return to the NCAA Tournament. I'm so proud of our seniors - they will certainly be missed!"
- Santor and Emily Shanklin led the team with three draw controls
- Tori Bruce caused two Polar Bear turnovers
- Bednarski and Julianna Ricci had the two Stevens assists in the game
- Eliza Denious paced Bowdoin with a four-goal effort while Hannah Hirschfeld (three goals, two assists) and Elizabeth Growney (two goals, three assists) had five-point days.
- Allison Williams had five draw controls while Kara Finnerty had four ground balls and three draw controls for the Polar Bears.
The Ducks made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011, won the Empire 8 Regular Season Championship and finished with a 14-6 record.