The University of Redlands women's lacrosse team squared off against Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) foe Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Wednesday night on Farquhar Field. After a back-and-forth battle during the first half, the Bulldogs worked to overcome a four-goal deficit late in the second stanza, earning the tying possession in the final 30 seconds of action. However, the final shot came up short, leaving the Maroon and Gray on the losing end of a 9-10 decision.
At the start of the game, junior midfielder Stephanie Garrett (San Diego, CA) initiated the scoring for the Bulldogs by corralling the opening draw control and going straight to net in just 11 seconds.
Less than three minutes later, the Sagehens responded to even the tally off of a goal by Sallie Marx.
This back-and-forth trend continued throughout the first 20 minutes of the opening frame, as neither squad gained more than a single-goal advantage.
However, Pomona-Pitzer built a slight 6-4 edge after scoring three-consecutive netters, with Rebecca Long notching two of them.
But the Bulldogs answered right back by tying up the game at six apiece in the final eight minutes of the first half. Sophomore attack Elizabeth Keilty (Yorba Linda, CA) threaded the needled to find Garrett for a Redlands goal with 7:20 left on the clock. Five minutes later, sophomore midfielder Breanne Rideout (San Diego, CA) converted a free-positon shot to even the score.
The Sagehens came out on fire in the second half, uncorking four-straight goals to take a 10-6 lead by the 19-minute-mark of the frame.
After a key save by sophomore goalkeeper Gigja Hollyday (Aliso Viejo, CA), the Bulldogs came back the other way to set up a nice offensive play. Although Garrett's initial shot was saved, she scooped up the ground ball to keep possession for Redlands. The Maroon and Gray remained patient, allowing Rideout to eventually find junior midfielder Ellen Holt (Happy Valley, OR) in traffic for a crucial score.
Garrett pulled in the subsequent draw control before Rideout fired off her second goal of the game, cutting the deficit to two with 13:35 remaining in the game.
Redlands continued to fight, with Garrett knocking in a free-position shot at the eight-minute mark to make it a one-goal game.
In the final minutes, Pomona-Pitzer had its chances to put this one away, but the Bulldogs managed to force a turnover and get the ball back with 32 ticks left on the clock. After a Redlands timeout, the Maroon and Gray attempted one last scoring play to force overtime, but the opportunity was foiled by the Sagehen defense, resulting in the tough loss for the Bulldogs.
Garrett led the Maroon and Gray with five goals and seven draw controls.
Hollyday and freshman goalkeeper Quinn Egan (Greenwood Village, CO) split time between the pipes and made two stops each.
Sagehen goalkeeper Gaby Fukumura impressed with 10 saves and three ground balls in a winning effort.
Redlands (2-2, 2-1 SCIAC) looks forward to hosting Chapman University in a conference match-up on Saturday at 7 p.m. on Farquhar Field.