4-0 Rally to End Game Gives the Saint Leo Women to Thrilling 14-13 Win over Molloy; Sophia Wood with GW at 0:40 on the Clock
Steinbrenner alum Natalie Jones 3G
via Saint Leo press release/website
Wood’s Late Goal Pushes Women’s Lacrosse Past Molloy
by George Hillen | Manager of Athletic Communications
SAINT LEO, Fla. – After executing a four-goal run in the last minutes of the fourth quarter, the Saint Leo women’s lacrosse team earned a 14-13 come-from-behind victory versus Molloy at home on Tuesday night in non-conference action.
With 40 seconds left in the game and the score knotted at 13-13, sophomore Sophia Wood blasted a game-winning goal as the Lions held Molly at bay for the remainder of the game and secured the victory.
Freshman Briana Bellando tallied the first goal of the game in 17 seconds to give the Green and Gold the early lead. Molloy answered two minutes later until sophomore Jana Nuss found the back of the net on two occasions as Saint Leo grasped a 3-1 margin. After Molloy tied the game at 3-3, Fiona McLaughlin fired an unassisted goal with 5:08 remaining in the first frame. The second quarter featured just four total goals as Molly accounted for three of them as it held a 7-5 edge at intermission.
Both teams were held scoreless in the opening eight minutes and 19 seconds of the third quarter until Molly gained an 8-5 advantage. To close of the third frame, the Green and Gold regained the lead with four consecutive goals coming from Wood, Bellando, freshman Natalie Jones and junior Maria Palomba, 9-8. Molloy exploded out of the gates at the start of the fourth quarter as it claimed a 13-10, however, a pair of scores from Palomba and one from Nuss in addition to clutch save from sophomore Jessica Harclerode helped set up Wood for her late-game heroics.
The Offensive attack from Saint Leo was led by Nuss, who scored three goals and dished out two assists while Palomba and Jones each posted a hat-trick of goals. Bellando and Wood finished the game with two goals while McLaughlin laced a goal and notched an assist. Defensively, Palomba recorded two ground balls and caused a pair of turnovers. Senior Cassidy Passaro registered four ground balls and junior Julia Sharp collected a trio of ground balls.
In the net, Harclerode posted 13 saves as she earned the win in the complete-game effort.
Saint Leo returns to the field on Thursday, March 14 as it hosts Bentley at 6 p.m. in a non-conference bout.
