SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Junior
Jessica Schubach scored 51 seconds into the third overtime period on Saturday afternoon to propel the Shippensburg University women's lacrosse team to a 16-15 victory over Seton Hill in the longest modern lacrosse game in school history.
Shippensburg (2-3) held a 14-11 lead with 8 minutes 30 seconds remaining in regulation before the Griffins fired off three goals that ultimately sent the match into overtime. Freshman
Bennett Widlake scored her only goal of the game almost midway through the opening six-minute overtime period but Morgan Cain answered with just 57 seconds left in the extra session to send the game into sudden victory.
Neither team scored in the first two of the three-minute sudden victory sessions, but both squads had quality chances. Junior
Meghan Kearney made three of her season-high 16 saves in the second overtime – one on a point-blank rocket by Elizabeth Otwell – and helped send the game into triple overtime.
After a draw control by sophomore
Sarah Chrencik, SU raced up the field and set up its offense. Schubach took a pass and was fouled in the box, resulting in the free position chance on which she capitalized. It was the fourth tally of the game for Schubach, who tied her career high in goals with Saturday's performance.
Sophomore
Lindsey Kennedy was a force once again, scoring three goals and dishing out two assists while leading the squad with five groundballs and three caused turnovers. She also won four draw controls. Her caused turnover late in the second half helped set up SU's final goal in regulation.
Senior
Katie Brewer notched a hat trick for the second straight game and had an assist while winning three draw controls and picking up two groundballs. Fellow senior
Karen Schnurr displayed her offensive prowess in the contest with three goals of her own and also had two groundballs.
Junior
Ali Cross returned to the starting lineup and was once again a force in the circle, winning a game-high six draw controls in addition to a goal and an assist. The overall statistics were virtually identical across the board, with each team firing 39 shots and picking up 19 groundballs, but SU held the all-important advantage in draw controls by seven (22-15), including the all-important win at the start of the third overtime.
Sophomore
Roxanne Brown also scored a goal in the contest for Shippensburg while freshman
Liz French paced the defenders with three groundballs.
Seton Hill (2-2) is a talented young squad that lost in overtime recently to another strong PSAC opponent in Bloomsburg. All signs led to Saturday's game being an exciting matchup, and the two teams certainly delivered in that regard. Griffin goaltender Nadine Wallace made 18 saves while attacker Morgan Cain led all players with five goals. Ashley White contributed three goals and three assists in a losing effort.
Shippensburg continues its four-game homestand on Friday with a 4 p.m. PSAC matchup with Edinboro.
Notes: Saturday's game was Shippensburg's first appearance in overtime since an 8-7 loss at Bloomsburg on April 26, 2007…current assistant coach
Lauren Marron was SU's goalkeeper in that game…it was Shippensburg's first sudden death overtime game since 2005, which was the only previously-known occurrence of sudden death since 1991…overtime periods in lacrosse are maintained statistically as six-minute periods despite the fact that the teams play three-minute sessions…all overtime periods after the first six minutes are considered sudden-victory sessions.
