OBERLIN, Ohio - Oberlin College women's lacrosse was dealt a crushing blow as they were bested by the College of Wooster Fighting Scots, 14-13 and eliminated from the North Coast Athletic Conference playoff picture.
It was a nail-biter down the stretch as a goal with 1:43 left in regulation lifted the Scot to victory and into the NCAC Tournament.
Pregame, the Oberlin College Yeowomen honored the careers of four team members,
Grace Barlow,
Suzanna Doak,
Taylor Swift and team manager
Emily Kipling. Unfortunately, Barlow and Doak were out of action today, but nevertheless, the recent success of the women's lacrosse program would not have been possible without their contributions and leadership during their tenure.
After falling victim to a three-goal deficit at the halftime break, the Yeowomen found an offensive rhythm in the second frame to knot the game 13-13 late. The difference maker was the late goal from Wooster's Ellie Hudson-Heck and a critical save from the Scot's netminder, Isabel Perman.
The Yeowomen drew first blood with a goal from
Maggie Mullard just 1:44 into the matchup. Leading scorer
Natalie Rauchle followed quickly with her 57th of the year to send the Yeowomen up 2-0.
Wooster would not be kept silent for long as the Scots struck for three-unanswered goals to erase the Oberlin lead.
Hannah Heinke-Green knotted the contest at 3-3 just under half way through the first half, but another Wooster scoring run dampened Oberlin's opportunity to regain the upperhand.
Four consecutive scores from Wooster elevated them to a 7-3 advantage, before Rauchle caged her second of the game to leave the scoreline at 7-4 in Wooster's favor at the intermission.
Just 43 seconds into the second stanza, Rauchle collected her hat-trick goal, to cut the Wooster lead to two, 7-5, but the Scots erupted for three more unanswered goals to move in front 10-5.
Rauchle halted the Wooster scoring run and began a hot streak for the Yeowomen. Heinke-Green,
Michaela Puterbaugh and Mullard followed Rauchle's lead to bring the Wooster advantage to one, 10-9.
Despite Oberlin's offensive efforts, the Scots continued to stave off the comeback with two more goals to maintain their advantage.
Trailing 12-9, Rauchle got one back, but exchanged a goal with Wooster's Helena Enders to keep the deficit at three. As the clock ticked under ten minutes remaining, Rauchle,
Sloane Garelick and Mullard all connected to tie the game with seven and a half remaining.
Knotted at 13-13, the Scot's Hudson-Heck snuck another low shot past junior
Alexa L'Insalata for the go-ahead goal.
Oberlin had a golden opportunity to net the equalizer and push the thriller into overtime, but Perman in the Wooster net, with a touch of luck, made a pivotal save. After a turnover in the midfield by Wooster's Emma Lawrence, Oberlin ran the transition down into the Scot's defensive zone.
On a shot attempt, first-year
Hayley Drapkin was fouled and awarded a free position at the top of the area.
Drapkin maneuvered into space off the whistle and let loose a low shot at Perman but somehow the Scot keeper got a stick to it and turned the shot wide. With Wooster in possession, the Yeowomen were all but helpless to watch the final seconds tick away as they were eliminated from the playoff picture with the loss.
In net L'Insalata finished with 11 saves elevating her season total to 143, a top-three mark in the conference. She closes the year with an overall record of 9-6 and a save percentage of .516 having faced 333 shots over the course of the campaign.
Rauchle will close the season with the team scoring title, netting a record 62 scores as a junior. Mullard's three-goal performance against the Scots lifts her total to 43, in a tie with Barlow in second.
Oberlin women's lacrosse closes the 2016 campaign at 10-7 overall and an even 4-4 in the NCAC.