By Tyler Wahl
The Framingham State Women’s Lacrosse team faced off against Wheaton College in a heated 11-10 win March 23.
Before entering this matchup, the Rams sat at 2-3 in the standings. They looked to even up their record with a big win Wednesday night.
FSU struggled at the start of this game initially, as they went down 2-0 quickly in the first quarter.
The Rams defense struggled to stop shots on net, forcing junior goalie Alexis Burleigh to make 16 saves throughout the match.
Both goals from Wheaton were scored early into the first quarter, and the Rams were able to hold off
scoring opportunities for the rest of the period.
Framingham State finally found themselves on the board with an unassisted goal from senior attacker, Tara Palermo.
Once the Rams broke the seal on the net, both teams played an incredibly offensive-centered game. The teams combined for a staggering 21 combined goals-scored once the final buzzer sounded.
The Rams were able to make it closer for a short time after another goal from Palamero, but the Lyons put two more up on the board to give them a two goal advantage.
Just before halftime, however, sophomore attacker Hannah Guerin put one in the back of the net to close the lead to one.
The defensive strategies of both teams once again wavered in the second half, as both Wheaton and FSU put up an astounding number of shots.
About halfway through the third period, Guerin was able to squeeze another one by Wheaton
goalkeeper Emily Oundjian, tying the game up at 4-4 a piece.
The Rams took their first lead when junior attacker Madison Skiff rifled one into the opposing net, making the score 5-4 with just under nine minutes left to play in the third.
The rest of the third period could be called the Lyons show. Wheaton put up a total of four goals in the span of seven minutes to give them a three point lead heading into the final quarter.
Framingham State displayed excellence on the offensive end in the final quarter and were able to bring the game back. The Rams scored four rapid-fire goals to even out Wheaton’s impressive third quarter.
Guerin scored another two for her team, making her the top scorer of the game with four individual goals.
The other two goals were finished off by freshman attacker Leah Green, and were unassistated once again.
Assisted by freshman attacker Hailey Baker, Green scored the game winner with just under three minutes left on the clock. The final buzzer sounded and the Rams took the win over Wheaton by a difference of one.
After the game, freshman midfielder Regan Fein spoke about their fourth-quarter comeback. She said, “I think the fourth quarter was a big tipping point for our team. We really found our rhythm and remained cool and collected.”
Composure was the biggest factor in their comeback win, according to Fein.
She added, “It was never about how aggressive or out of control the other team played. It was about how we played, and I believe our team’s ability to remain composed played a huge part in that.”
The Rams look to improve their record from .500 at home March 26 vs. Endicott.