MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – Senior Maya DeGeorge (Grand Junction, Colo.) delivered a stellar individual performance with six goals, but the Beloit College women's lacrosse team ultimately fell 16-8 to league rival Cornell College on the road Wednesday evening at Van Metre Field.
Despite the final score, the Buccaneers (5-4, 2-3 NACC) battled hard, particularly during a thrilling third-quarter comeback fueled by DeGeorge's offensive prowess.
The game started as a defensive tussle, ending the first quarter tied 1-1. Cornell struck first, but DeGeorge answered with her first goal of the night on a power-play opportunity, assisted by Cassidy Felix (Bellflower, Calif.), with just over three minutes left in the period.
Cornell College (6-5, 4-1 NACC) created separation in the second quarter, outscoring Beloit 5-2 despite the Buccaneers putting six shots on goal. Freshman Willow Mashkuri (Middlesex, Vt.) netted her lone goal of the contest, and DeGeorge added another tally just 17 seconds later to keep the Bucs within striking distance, trailing 6-3 at halftime.
The third quarter belonged to DeGeorge and the Buccaneers' resilience. Beloit matched Cornell's four goals in the period, with DeGeorge scoring all four for the visitors. Remarkably, two of her third-quarter goals came while Beloit was playing short-handed due to penalties, cutting the deficit to just one goal at 8-7 with 4:22 left in the period. Cornell managed two late goals to take a 10-7 lead into the final frame.
However, the Rams regained momentum in the fourth quarter, pulling away with a 6-1 scoring advantage. Johanna McNair (Fishers, Ind.) scored Beloit's final goal, another power-play tally, midway through the period.
DeGeorge finished her outstanding night with six goals on 12 shots (11 on goal). She also led the team with five ground balls and five draw controls, adding two caused turnovers. Mashkuri contributed one goal, four shots on goal, and four ground balls. McNair had the final goal, four ground balls, and one caused turnover. Felix chipped in with one assist, a team-high six ground balls, three draw controls, and three caused turnovers.
In goal, Kim Pilon (Birch Run, Mich.) played just over 49 minutes, making seven saves against 23 shots on goal. Jasmin Bowers (Richmond, Texas) played the opening 11 minutes of the second half.
While Cornell held a slight edge in draw controls (12-13 against Beloit) and committed one fewer turnover (19-20), Beloit gathered more ground balls (26-23) and showed efficiency on special teams, converting two power-play chances and adding two short-handed goals. Beloit put 23 of their 28 total shots on target but faced a strong performance from Cornell goalie Hannah Miech, who made 15 saves.
The Buccaneers head out of Beloit on Saturday, when they make the drive to Fond du Lac, Wis. to face off agaisnt Marian. Game time is set for 12 pm.
