Goucher Women's Lacrosse's Rally Falls Short Against Alvernia

BALTIMORE, Md. – Julia Gazzola (Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown) knocked in a rebound off her 8-meter shot to cut the margin to 11-10 with 55 seconds left, but Alvernia University won the ensuing draw control to run out the clock and earn the one-goal win in non-conference women's lacrosse action on Monday. Gazzola paced the Gophers with four goals and one assist.

Goucher scored the final two goals of the first half to tie the game at 5 at the break, but after the Golden Wolves scored the first four tallies of the second half the Gophers needed to score four unanswered goals to tie the game at the end of regulation and Gazzola almost pulled off the trick.

Trailing 11-7 with 8:28 remaining, Gazzola started the comeback attempt with her second goal of the day off a Camryn Agostino (South Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) feed at 7:48. The duo hooked up again with 84 seconds remaining to cut the margin to 11-9. Gazzola then had an 8-meter shot that was turned away, but the sophomore came up with the ground ball and twinkled the twine with 55 seconds left to make it a one-goal game and complete the natural hat trick.

If Goucher could haul in the ensuing draw control, where the team had a 14-7 edge, then the Gophers might be able to pull off the unthinkable on the heels of the 40th Anniversary of the Miracle on Ice and Al Michael's "Do you believe in miracles?" call. Alvernia ended any thoughts of miracle by winning the draw control and ran out the remaining time.

Gazzola stuffed the stat sheet with four goals and one assist along with three ground balls, three draw controls and two caused turnovers. It was her sixth career game with at least four tallies. The sophomore ranks second on the team with six goals and two assists for eight points.

After registering four goals and four assists in the season-opening 11-7 win against Virginia Wesleyan on February 16, Agostino added two markers and two assists on Monday and now leads the team with six goals and six assists for 12 points. The junior posted her 13th-multigoal performance and fifth two-assist game of her career.

Emily Flinn (Ashland, Va./Patrick Henry) registered two goals and an assist while Alyssa Long (Pennsburg, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) notched her first two tallies of the season. Flinn posted her ninth multigoal performance while Long has at least two goals for the 14th time in her career. The senior also grabbed four draw controls and sits one draw from 100 for her career.

Long gave Goucher a 1-0 and 2-1 lead In the match. The junior found the back of the net for the first time in 2020 off a pass from Gazzola from behind the net 65 seconds into the game and then regained the margin for the Gophers off a Flinn feeder at 18:36. Flinn then gave the hosts a 3-2 lead unassisted with 13:30 left in the first half.

After the Golden Wolves scored the next three markers to take a 5-3 lead, Agostino scored twice in the final two minutes to send the game to halftime tied at 5. The junior scored unassisted at 1:50 and then beat the buzzer at the end of regulation unassisted.

Alvernia responded to start the second half by scoring the first four goals of the final frame. Gazzola halted the Golden Wolves run when she scored off a pass from Gabrielle Umstead (Chadds Ford, Pa./Garnet Valley) at 23:07 before Flinn converted a free-position shot at 19:02 to cut the margin to 9-7.

A two-goal run by Alvernia restored the four-goal margin and despite Gazzola's natural hat trick, the Golden Wolves grabbed the draw control to end the contest.

Mackenzie Nase (Weare, N.H./John Stark Regional) paced the defense with a career-high seven draw controls along with three ground balls and two caused turnovers. Soleil Gagne (Portsmouth, N.H./Portsmouth) posted four ground balls and two caused turnovers while Lia Oren (Milwaukee, Wisc./Nicolet) registered three ground balls and two caused turnovers.

Abbie McHerron (Burnt Hills, N.Y./Burnt Hills) made four saves in 51:32 minutes of work while Belle Christ (Randolph, N.J./Randolph) made her collegiate debut and made one save in 8:28 minutes of play.

Goucher, who is 1-1 for the 10th time since 2008, hits the road for the first time this season at Gwynedd Mercy on Saturday. Game time is 12 p.m.