ALFRED, N.Y. — Alfred State used a decisive second-half surge to pull away for a 15-4 victory over the Bobcats’ lacrosse team on Saturday afternoon.
Alfred State struck first in a tightly contested opening quarter, getting goals from Kari Annunziato at the 5:26 mark and Karlee Hargather with 1:02 remaining to take a 2-0 lead after one. Wesleyan’s defense and goalkeeper Ella Gomez kept the game within reach early, as Gomez turned away three first-quarter shots and repeatedly helped the Bobcats survive heavy pressure. Alfred State outshot Wesleyan 7-1 in the opening 15 minutes, but the Bobcats stayed within striking distance heading into the second.
The Bobcats responded with their best stretch of the day in the second quarter. Elmer put Wesleyan on the board with an unassisted goal at 12:27, then finished off a Sloan assist less than a minute later to tie the match, 2-2, with 11:40 left before halftime. After Alfred State answered with back-to-back scores, Wesleyan again closed the gap when Elmer completed her hat trick at 5:10 off another feed from Sloan, making it a one-goal game at 4-3.
From there, however, the Pioneers capitalized on a late second-quarter swing. Alfred State scored four straight goals over the final 3:22 of the half, including a man-up tally by Annunziato with 1:23 left and another extra-player goal from Alaina Gernatt just 28 seconds later. What had been a one-goal contest quickly became a 7-3 halftime deficit.
The third quarter was where Alfred State fully seized control. Hargather opened the period with back-to-back goals in the first 1:49, and the Pioneers added five more in the quarter to stretch the margin to 14-3. Alfred State scored three times in the opening 2:01 of the frame, turning a competitive halftime game into a double-digit lead. Wesleyan was held without a shot in the third quarter as the Pioneers dominated possession and continued to win key draw controls.
Sloan converted a free-position chance with 4:05 remaining for the Bobcats’ final goal. Alfred State had added one more score earlier in the quarter on Hargather’s sixth goal of the day, but Wesleyan’s final push prevented the closing minutes from going scoreless. Sloan finished with three points on one goal and two assists, while Elmer paced the attack with three goals on five shots.
Gomez was busy in goal and made eight saves over nearly 37 minutes, while Emeri Boggs and Tatiyana Blacknall combined for three more stops as Wesleyan totaled 11 saves as a team. Boggs also collected four ground balls, and Gomez led the Bobcats with 11 ground balls in a strong all-around effort despite the result. Boluwatife Omoleye added four ground balls, and Wesleyan finished with 24 overall.
Alfred State was led by Hargather’s dominant 11-point outing on six goals and five assists, while Annunziato added four goals and an assist. The Pioneers held advantages in shots (34-11), shots on goal (23-7), draw controls (14-7), and ground balls (30-24), numbers that helped dictate the flow of the game, particularly after halftime. Wesleyan also committed 31 turnovers and went 14-for-29 on clears.
The Bobcats go on the road Sunday, Mar. 22 to the University of Charleston for an 11 a.m. start.
