Stow Girls Lacrosse Rally Falls Short Against Magnificat

The Lady Bulldogs lacrosse team traveled to Rocky River on Monday and lost by one to Magnificat.

It looked like it would be along night for the Bulldogs as Magnificat took control of the first two draws and immediately scored two easy goals against a disorganized defense. But the defense stiffened and Megan Garrison recovered a loose ball near midfield, then fired cross-field to Kelly Vitt who was sprinting down the left side. She ran past a defender and drilled a shot past the Magnificat goalkeeper to put Stow on the scoreboard.

Magnificat answered minutes later with their third goal. Earning possession on the following draw, Stow worked the ball behind the goal to Jessie Swanger. She wrapped around the left post, then drew back, pulling the defender with her. Kelsie Hengle then slipped underneath the defender, snagged a looping pass from Swanger and flipped the ball to the back of the net.

Magnificat appeared to take command after a penalty call and they converted against the shorthanded defense. The hosts continued to win draws and scored two more times on free position shots to lead 6-2. Stow fought hard and advanced to the offensive end, but an errant pass resulted in the ball rolling in front of the crease. In the battle for possession, Hengle flipped the ball from the ground up over the goalkeeper’s shoulder to score.

Magnificat scored on the next possession and threatened yet again before goalkeeper Erin Wright intercepted a pass across the front of the crease. She cleared to Hengle who ran down field but was tripped up by the defense. As she fell and the ball rolled loose, Garrison scooped it up and shot a laser to the upper right corner, narrowing the lead to 7-4 at half.

In the first 5 minutes of the second half, neither team could take command. The Stow defense, led by Katie Hill, Kendall Lang, Ashley Austin, and Charlie Baliman fought for every inch of ground. Shannon Perko and Gina Bonfiglio provided additional support as they substituted into the game. But Magnificat managed to break through for the first goal of the second half near the 20 minute mark. Freshman Sam Banks answered for the Bulldogs as she ran in from the right side and hit the back of the net with an overhand shot.

Magnificat tallied their final goal of the game with approximately 7 minutes remaining, and the Maroon and Gold came storming back. The Stow midfield, including Sierra Billhimer, Brittani Hylton, Alexa McCauley, and Amanda Cooper, began to dominate possessions. Jessie ODay also contributed key minutes during the run. Swanger converted off a penalty by backing out, then knifing to the left side of the defender and beating the goalkeeper on a fine individual effort. Then Vitt converted a free position shot to narrow the lead to 9-7 with a little over a minute remaining. Battling with new intensity, the Bulldogs won the draw and immediately attacked, and Swanger found Hengle on the left post, where she snatched the pass and bounced it past the goalkeeper. Stow found themselves on the verge of a remarkable comeback, but only 32 second remained. 

On the following draw, both teams battled for possession, but the Bulldogs finally won control and advanced to the top of the circle. Garrison appeared to slip between two Magnificat defenders and found herself in front of the goal with only the goalkeeper to beat, but the referee’s whistle blew the play dead and the ball was awarded to the defense on a charging call, killing the Stow rally. This was the third time this season the Bulldogs fell by a single goal.

Erin Wright had a strong game in goal, recording 13 saves, but absorbed another tough loss.

Editor's note: Mark Bonfiglio submitted information for this story.