Rachel Tufts
17
Winner Gannon GAN 1-0
14
Notre Dame College NDC 1-1
Winner
Gannon GAN
1-0
17
Final
14
Notre Dame College NDC
1-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Gannon GAN 9 8 17
Notre Dame College NDC 7 7 14

Game Recap: Women's Lacrosse | | David Rung, Director of Athletics Media Relations

Second-Half Surge Lifts Gannon Over Notre Dame In 2020 Lacrosse Season Opener

THE RUNDOWN
  • Final Score: Gannon 17, Notre Dame (Ohio) 14
  • Records: Gannon (1-0) | Notre Dame (1-1)
  • Location: Normandy Field — South Euclid, Ohio

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
KEY SEQUENCE
  • With the two sides trading goals in what was a tight game throughout, Gannon opened up the largest lead of the game with two goals within a minute midway through the second half. When Erica Weir (Rochester, N.Y./Fairport) notched a finish with seven minutes remaining on a feed from Amberlynn Kegler (Spencerport, N.Y./Spencerport), it pushed the lead to 15-11 and gave the Knights enough breathing room to secure the win.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Gannon dominated the first five-plus minutes of its season, forcing four straight turnovers on Notre Dame's first four possessions. The Knights' first four shots came up empty during that stretch, but Courtney Young (Pittsburgh, Pa./South Fayette) converted a free position, and a quick follow-up goal from Erin Rotondo (Manalapan, N.J./Manalapan) off a pass from Jess Hudak (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton-LaSalle) quickly made it 2-0.
  • The fast scoring continued, as Kegler pushed it to 3-1, and Rachel Tufts (Erie, Pa./McDowell) made it 4-1 on a free position, all within 90 seconds of that opening goal. The Falcons twice tied it up, scoring three straight to make it 4-4, then getting to 5-all as the first half was 13 minutes gone.
  • The hosts took their only lead of the game at 6-5 on a counter-attack after a save, but Rotondo found Young for a finish less than a minute later to pull even. Nearly three minutes went by before Tufts converted another free position, and although Notre Dame tied it one more time, Gannon answered with the final two scores of the first half to hold a 9-7 lead at the break.
  • The two sides alternated scores with the first seven goals of the second half, with the lead bouncing between one and two for the Knights as the clock ticked under 15 minutes to play. Rotondo got things going with a caused turnover from pressure on the Falcon goalie after a save, and tossed to Kegler for the finish that made it 13-11.
  • Hudak followed the same idea a minute later, and found Young for the tally to make it a three-score lead with 13:24 to go. The next six-plus minutes saw no scoring, with Cheyenne Jess (Stratford, N.J./Sterling) coming up big for the guests with a save on a free position midway through that stretch.
  • Weir made it a four-goal lead at the seven-minute mark, and although Notre Dame scored the next two to get it back to within two, Tufts found the back of the net two more times to keep the comeback at bay.

 
GAME NOTES
  • Young and Tufts each scored five goals on the day to lead the offense. Young's came on just six shots, and Tufts' came on a game-high nine shots.
  • Rotondo added three goals to go with two assists, and Kegler posted two scores and an assist.
  • Hudak turned in three assists, five ground balls and four caused turnovers, all high marks in the game.
  • The 17 goals were the most for a Gannon team since the Knights netted 21 in the season opener of the 2018 season against Palm Beach Atlantic. Their 18 caused turnovers were the most in a game since April 25, 2018 against Slippery Rock.
  • It's the third straight win in a season opener for Gannon, who dispatched Lee last year and Palm Beach Atlantic in 2018.
 
UP NEXT
  • Gannon makes a quick turnaround for its second game of the 2020 season, traveling to Ursuline Monday afternoon.
  • The 1 p.m. first draw from Gilmour Academy will feature live video and live stats.
  • This will be the first all-time meeting between the Knights and the Arrows, who will be making their 2020 season debut Monday.
 
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