YORK, PA – The York College women’s lacrosse team mounted a feverish second half comeback but fell just short to Capital Athletic Conference foe Marymount 10-8 in overtime. The Spartans complete their 2009 regular-season slate with a 7-9 mark including 2-5 in league play while the Saints improve to 6-7 and 3-4 in the conference.
    Marymount opened up a 5-0 first half lead and eventually dug the Spartans a 6-0 hole just 43 seconds into the second period.
    Down by that 6-0 count, the Green and White embarked on a six-goal jaunt beginning with Megan Bell’s (Westminster, Md./Francis Scott Key) first of five scores at the 28:27 mark.
    Freshman standout Ashley Kanzler (Baltimore, Md./Perry Hall) added back-to-back tallies with 24:14 and 16:47 to play. Kanzler’s 22nd and 23rd goals of her rookie campaign cut Marymount’s lead to a manageable 6-3.
    York continued the onslaught, drawing to within one over the game’s next 3:04. Bell recorded her second of the day to bring York to within 6-4 at 14:51. Sophomore Molly Kerrigan (Bel Air, Md./Institute of Notre Dame) then slashed the Saint lead to a mere tally courtesy of her 19th of the year with 13:43 remaining in the game.
    After nearly eight minutes of scoreless action, Bell completed the Spartan comeback as she tied the score at six with 5:15 remaining.
    Marymount’s Laura Raymer then broke York’s run with only 1:55 showing on the game clock. Raymer’s tally, courtesy of a Sara Horne assist, returned the lead to the Saints at 7-6.
    Not yet finished, junior captain Megan Foy (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) won the ensuing draw control, securing a valuable possession for the Green and White. Bell responded to Foy’s win as she tallied for the fourth time with only 1:22 to play.
Bell’s score proved to be the last of a frenetic second half as the game spilled into overtime.
    The initial overtime period began much the same as regulation ended with yet another Bell score. The midfielder’s fifth tally gave the Spartans their first lead of the contest at 8-7 with 4:55 remaining in overtime.
    Undeterred by the Spartans’ furious comeback and subsequent lead, the Saints answered with three goals to close out overtime and capture the 10-8 win.
    For the game, York held a 36-21 bulge in shots while Marymount picked up 17 ground balls to the Spartans’ 15. The Green and White won a majority of the draw controls taking 12-of-22, however the Saints secured the final three.
    Marymount effectively spread out their ten goals as six different Saints got in on the offensive action. Horne led her squad with three scores while Lindsay Quinn and Aimee Michels each added two. SpringAnne Hatfield collected a team-high four draw controls. Goalkeeper Ashley Dodge put in a strong performance for the Saints, including a masterful first-half where she shut out the Spartans. Dodge posted 13 saves over her 66 minutes, making several quality stops.
    Bell paced the Spartan offense with her five tallies as she now owns the team-lead with 36 goals on the season. Kanzler posted two scores while she also collected a game-high five draw controls. Both Kelly Vrana (West Islip, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) and Courtney Heller (Reisterstown, Md./Franklin) contributed solid defensive games. Vrana registered two ground balls, two draw controls, and one caused turnover while Heller added two ground balls and two caused turnovers. Senior goalkeeper Anne Feustle (Baltimore, Md./Catonsville) made six saves for the Spartans throughout her 66 minutes of work.
    The Spartans will now travel south for the first round of the CAC tournament as York is set to face Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va. at a time to be announced. Please visit www.ycpspartans.com for up-to-date information.

GAME BOX

Megan Bell scored a game-high five goals Wednesday afternoon