ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Sometimes someone has to play the role of hero, and Saturday at the Flagler Lacrosse Field, it was
Katelyn Trainor scoring with 4:18 left in the game to propel Flagler College to a 10-9 Gulf South Conference win over Lander University.
Flagler improves to 9-6 on the year and 2-1 in GSC play, while Lander drops to an even 7-7 and 1-3 in GSC contests.
The first year Saints have clinched themselves a birth in the GSC tournament with today's victory.
"Very proud of the way our defense played today through the end coming up with big stops when we needed them," head coach
Grant Kelam said, following the hard-fought victory. "Lander is very well coached and a very impressive third-year program. We hope to ride this wave through next week when we play last year's Gulf South Champion."
It was an even contest for all 60 minutes, with the largest lead at any point being a mere two-goal margin.
Entering the final 15 minutes, the score was knotted up at eight all. The Bearcats got a goal from Emma Arfin with 20 second left in the third quarter to tie the contest.
Kaitlyn Bush put Flagler ahead by one 30 seconds into the final quarter, scoring off a free position shot following a shooting space foul on a Lander defender.
Ten minutes later, Trainor made her way through the zone defense Lander had been playing all day and beat Lander's Brenah Sarell to give Flagler a 10-8 edge.
Lander won the ensuring draw control and marched down the field to cut the margin to one off the stick of Melissa Clapsaddle, thanks to a pass from Emmy Peterson.
Lander continued to threaten for the entirety of the game and it all came to ahead with 1:20 left. Following the Bearcats final timeout, Clapsaddle fired a shot wide of Flagler's
Lauren Ribadeneira but Peterson scooped up the ground ball and made a cut along the left side. She fired off a shot but Ribadeneira held firm and recorded her tenth save of the afternoon to seal Lander's fate.
It was a balanced offensive attack from Kelam's squad this afternoon with Bush and Trainor leading the way with two goals apiece.
Jordan Green,
Katie Stubits,
Kate Piscopo,
Kenzie Dillon,
Carly LaFerriere and
Madison Daziel all contributed one goal.
Defensively, the Saints defenders caused 13 of Lander's 20 turnovers. Daziel,
Anna Day and
Kaelyn Figueras each forced two.
Flagler will look for another GSC victory next Saturday, April 16
th when the Saints welcome the defending conference champions, the University of Alabama in Huntsville to St. Augustine for a 1 p.m. clash.
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