BUFFALO, NY – The Buffalo State women's lacrosse team fell to the New Paltz Hawks, 14-7, in their 'Team Molly' game.

GAME BASICS

FINAL SCORE: New Paltz - 14, Buffalo State – 7
LOCATION: Coyer Field – Buffalo, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 8-4 (3-2 SUNYAC), New Paltz: 9-4 (5-1 SUNYAC)

INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• Vanessa Willick (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville East) led the Bengals with five goals. Willick's five points tie her for third in the all-time scoring list in Buffalo State women's lacrosse history at 268 with Alanna Herne. Willick's 212 goals for her career mark only the second player in program history to accumulate over 200 goals, only trailing Karen Shaddock (09-12), who finished with 262 goals.
• Bri Struck (Penn Yan, NY/Penn Yan) tallied two assists, while Emilee Josker (Hamburg, NY/Frontier) and Kaylee Cadez (Temecula, CA/Temecula Valley) each contributed a goal and an assist.
• On defense, Dejah Evans-Murphy (Auburn, NY/Auburn) led the Bengals with three caused turnovers, while Willick led with six draw controls. Kira Grzechowiak (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West), who wore the #18 jersey for the Bengals, finished with three groundballs and five draw controls.
• Brielle Lum (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara-Wheatfield) started in net, making nine saves.
• The Hawks outshot the Bengals, 27-20, with the Bengals winning the draw control battle, 12-10.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After losing to the Oswego State Lakers in their previous game, the Bengals returned home to Coyer Field to host the New Paltz Hawks for their annual 'Team Molly' game. Kira Grzechowiak was honored with the #18 jersey.
• In the first quarter, the Bengals would fall behind as the Hawks jumped out to a goal in the first minute. This would be the story of the quarter: the Bengals struggled to contain the Hawks' offensive attack, allowing five goals in the quarter and trailing heading into the second quarter.
• The Bengals would strike first in the second quarter, finally finding the back of the net at the ten-minute marker. This would lead to a run of 'one-upping one another' as the Hawks would respond with a goal of their own. With both teams finishing the quarter with three goals apiece, the Bengals would find themselves trailing at halftime by five goals.
• Exiting halftime, the Bengals attempted to steal the momentum from the Hawks, scoring within the opening seconds of the second half. However, this would be the Bengals' only goal of the quarter, as the Hawks would score four unanswered goals to take an eight-goal lead heading into the final quarter of play.
• In the fourth quarter, the Bengals kept things competitive with the Hawks, netting another goal in the first minute, but the Hawks slowed the Bengals' attack throughout the quarter. While the Bengals would outscore the Hawks in the quarter, 3-2, their comeback hopes fell short, as they would fall to the Hawks and drop their second SUNYAC game of the season.

FOR THE FOES

• Lexi Atwater led all scorers with eight points on seven goals and an assist.
• Piper Mascaros and Gabriella Tommaso each saw time in the net, with Mascaros picking up the win and leading the Hawks with seven saves.

UP NEXT
The Bengals will return to the road, making a quick pit stop at SUNY Morrisville next Tuesday, April 14th, to finish their matchup against the Mustangs, which was postponed due to weather. The Bengals will look to close out their 13-6 lead and pick up a much-needed SUNYAC win.