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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Olivia Hanulak vs. Mount Union
Peter Wangechi
Olivia Hanulak
8
John Carroll JCU 15-1, 6-1
13
Winner Mount Union UMU 13-4, 6-1
John Carroll JCU
15-1, 6-1
8
Final
13
Mount Union UMU
13-4, 6-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
John Carroll JCU 1 2 3 2 8
Mount Union UMU 3 5 3 2 13

Game Recap: Women's Lacrosse | | Joe Ginley '16, SID

Early Deficit Too Much as Women's Lacrosse Loses OAC Championship in Alliance

JCU couldn't dig out of an early hole in a loss to the Purple Raiders

ALLIANCE – A rainy day away did not go John Carroll's way.

In the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Championship, the Blue Streaks struggled to get offense going in the rain, falling at the University of Mount Union, 13-8.

With the defeat, John Carroll Women's Lacrosse is 15-2 on the season, both losses to the Purple Raiders. The Blue Streaks' season may not be over, as JCU will hope for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. 

"For us, defensively we had a lot of great stops. Transitions caught us off guard and not taking care of the ball," said Head Coach Kelsey Shewbridge. "You gotta fake and place when it matters. But the effort was unreal. We had some great comeback moments. Going into the NCAC, we need to take care of the little things. I'm super proud of this team because we've grown. The conference ranked us sixth in the preseason and we wound up in the championship game, so you can't ask for much more for that. We're working hard." 

As a steady rain came down, the first few minutes of the game were quiet, until Mount Union scored the game's first goal at the 10:50 mark. With JCU's quick strike passes not working, the Purple Raiders managed to push ahead by two with a goal near the six-minute mark. With 73 seconds left in the quarter, Olivia Hanulak got JCU on the board. A late Raider goal set the margin at 3-1 after the first quarter. 

The Purple Raiders scored the first three goals of the second stanza, upping the lead to 6-1. John Carroll called a timeout with 9:56 on the clock in the half, looking to hit the reset button. The break helped, as Anna Spitzer fired home a pass from Abby Cassidy. But the Raiders responded with a woman-up goal. After a Raider goal, Hanulak got JCU back on the board with a free-position goal with 1:46 left in the half. JCU trailed at halftime, 8-3.

Shots were about even, but the difference was that Mount Union finished its shots while JCU experienced issues completing consistent passes. 

The hosts got on the board first to start the second half. Hanulak provided a response for JCU, doing the job herself with a couple dodges en route. Riley Knapp then fired home two free-position goals to get JCU right back in it, 9-6, just four minutes into the third quarter.

Mount Union halted the JCU momentum with a pair of goals, getting the lead back to five goals, 11-6, which held through the end of the third. 

The Blue Streaks came out firing out of the break. Cassidy scored just 18 seconds into the fourth quarter, and then Knapp took a Spitzer pass to slim the gap to three goals just two minutes into the fourth. 

While JCU's defense held firm, including forcing turnovers in transition, Mount Union's goalie made a couple of crucial saves, including a couple on breakaways. The Raiders netted a critical insurance goal with 4:09 to play, going up by four goals. The dagger came with two minutes left, getting the Raiders ahead by five goals. 

Olivia Hanulak and Riley Knapp topped the team with three goals apiece. Knapp and Jill McDonnell both tabbed 3 caused turnovers. 

"What's been really cool about our fifth years is that that they have been unafraid to take initiative this year and be the leaders we know they can be," said Shewbridge. "Props to Olivia and Lauren to taking on those roles."

Next Up
John Carroll will await the results of the NCAA Division III Selection Show on Monday, May 5 at 10:30 am.
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