By Chrissy Segrest
Elm Staff Writer
Randolph Macon College lost the Centennial Conference championship by only four goals last season, so the Shorewomen knew they had to come out and fight their best fight in their game versus the Yellow Jackets on Saturday, March 17.
“People think that we’re the underdogs. At this point in the season last year, we were only 3-3,” said freshman Meghan Dean. “We’re ready for them to think that we’re the pushover. Because everyone knows when you come into a game thinking you’ve got the game in the bag, that’s when you lose.”
The game started with Randolph Macon on the scoreboard first, putting two goals in the net 76 seconds into the game. Junior Cecily Docktor was able to put the Shorewomen on the board with a goal of her own only 67 seconds later.
The Yellow Jackets pushed the lead to 3-1 with 24:23 left in the first half, but the Shorewomen would score three of their own to take the lead on a goal by junior Alison Pantazes.
Randolph Macon was able to add three goals with less than 15 minutes to go. WC retaliated with three goals, Docktor getting the go-ahead goal with 14 seconds left.
WC was leading 7-6 going into the second half, but the Yellow Jackets scored with 28:09 left in the game to tie it up 7-7. Two minutes later, junior Kristy Grovom put the Shorewomen back in the lead 8-7.
With 19:57 left on the clock, the Shorewomen were down by two goals. Junior Emily Pantazes scored in 75 seconds to bring the deficit to one, and at 15:15 sophomore Lauren Brenner tied the game. 19 seconds later, the Yellow Jackets find the back of the net, going ahead. With an assist from sophomore Aubrey Robinson, Docktor was able to score two goals with 8:01 left, bringing to the score to 12-11. Senior Madison Acra was able to increase that to 13 with another goal at 6:23. Randolph Macon scored two goals within seconds, and WC was unable to flip the score, causing the game to turn to overtime at 13-13.
The Yellow Jackets won the draw, but WC forced a turnover. Brenner scored the free-position and game-winning goal.
The Shorewomen had a variety of contributors, with Docktor leading the board with five goals. Brenner had four, Grovom had two, and Alison Panatazes had one goal and one assist. Junior Isabella Richardson had four saves while in the goal for 62:45. The Shorewomen also outshot the Yellow Jackets 43 to 26 during the game.
The Shorewomen will play their next game on March 24 versus Dickinson at home. The game will begin at 3 p.m.