After a high-strung back-and-forth game in the cold rain, Western Connecticut State University women’s lacrosse team came up short against Coast Guard Academy on Wednesday April 6.

Senior Dominique DeMarsico kept the Coast Guard Academy fighting to stay ahead throughout the match at the Westside Athletic Complex. The wet weather did not stop WCSU fans from standing on the bleachers, cheering, and picking out the closest seats to the field. Junior goalkeeper, Anna Schipf amazed the crowd as she completed the game with thirteen saves under her belt. The WestConn women’s lacrosse team ended with a score of 8-9.

During the first quarter, WestConn was losing 0-2 until junior Alexa Riggio scored the first goal assisted by senior Dominique DeMarsico. Shortly after, DeMarisco upped the count by scoring twice, which resulted in a new score of 2-3. The match changed hands when senior Katherine Pittman from Coast Guard Academy scored an additional two goals that finished the first quarter with 4-3.

Upon entering the second quarter, senior Mia Schumey evened the points 4-4, once again assisted by DeMarsico. WestConn seemed to be above water until Pittman struck the back of the net with yet another goal. Just before halftime, WestConn senior Brianna Pota scored and settled the game at 5-5.

In the third quarter, Riggio scored the sixth goal assisted by junior Colleen Foley. A little under five minutes before the third quarter ended, Coast Guard teammate Gianna Cascio evened the score 6-6 assisted by Pittman.

“I am a midfielder, which is a tough position because I play everywhere on the field which means I do a lot of running,” Foley said in an interview after the game. “It is a very tiring position and can be mentally challenging…if offense plays bad, it is on you and the same goes with defense.”

The opening of the fourth quarter was intense, starting with the first goal from Addy Bass of Coast Guard Academy. WestConn was behind until DeMarsico raced across the field, flew past two defenders, and finished by knotting the score at 7-7.

Back at it again, DeMarsico fired another shot from the free position straight into the bottom of the cage. With 4:04 minutes left, she made the count 8-7. However, Coast Guard Academy regained control of the game when they were shown a yellow card with twenty-two seconds left. Cascio scored one last goal in the final second, evening the score 8-8.

With Cascio’s winning goal, she completed a hat trick— scoring three goals in a single game.

During overtime, Pittman finished the game with one last goal, leaving the count 9-8 with 3:47 minutes remaining on the clock.

In retrospect, Foley commented, “The game didn’t go in our favor…This motivates me to be better the next day and to push myself. I learned a lot from my mistakes, and I am ready for the next game to work even harder.”

Even though the team was defeated by the Coast Guard, the WestConn athletes were thrilled to play this season after multiple games were canceled due to COVID-19 and inclement weather changes. “I am comfortable playing lacrosse during COVID,” Foley said. “My freshman year the season got canceled and it devastated me. I will do anything to play the sport I love with the teammates I love. I have trust in all the student-athletes to stay safe and to do what needs to be done to continue playing.”

For future games, the WestConn women’s lacrosse team is ready to take on all-new challenges, “Sports is all about the next play mentality,” Foley stated. The team played hard despite the adversity of the weather and COVID-19 precautions.

Despite the loss, the women’s lacrosse team continues to have a strong and positive outlook for the remainder of the spring season.