Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
4-0
Rutgers University
3-1
Women’s Lacrosse Jumps #9 Rutgers Early in Convincing Victory to Mark First Top-Ten Win in Program History
February 26, 2023 | Women's Lacrosse
WEST POINT, NY – Army West Point women's lacrosse (4-0, 0-0 PL) knocked off #9 Rutgers (3-1, 0-0 BT) on a snow-filled afternoon at Michie Stadium to remain undefeated.
A week after securing the program's first ever win over a top-20 opponent, the Black Knights once again made history with the win. Army has won 16 of its past 20 games dating back to last season under second year head coach Michelle Tumolo.
"We've just prepared so much to do big things in big moments" said Tumolo following the game. "A lot of it is all of the belief, trust and just going into the game knowing we can win. And that's what we did. It takes a lot of talent, heart, hustle and grit."
Lacey Bartholomay continued to stand out for the Black Knights, making 12 saves in the game on 17 shots faced to limit the Scarlet Knights. Brigid Duffy led the attacking unit for Army with three goals and an assist while Kathleen Sullivan also logged four points with a score and three assists. Duffy and Sullivan each rank in a tie for fourth-place in the Patriot League in points with 17.
Army looked the part from the opening draw, having a few opportunities to no avail before the Scarlet Knights were able to successfully clear and attempt to attack. 5:03 into the contest is when the Black Knights broke the deadlock, with Jolie Riedell firing in off a feed from Duffy. Duffy would tally the next off a tight pass from Julia Gorajek, before Marissa Massey made a good move to beat the Rutgers goalkeeper and secure a 3-0 lead for Army exactly ten minutes into the game.
Bartholomay continued to blank the Scarlet Knights, making three saves total in the opening quarter as Army controlled possession and the pace of the game as the snow continued to come down. A shellshocked Rutgers team had no answer for Army's offense early on, as Sullivan then found Carleigh Armstrong for Army's fourth tally with 2:50 to play in the game. With the pressure now on the Black Knights to maintain the lead, Duffy's second of the game allowed Army to take a 5-0 lead into the second quarter.
"Having a big lead is huge." - said Tumolo on Army's hot start. "Keeping that lead is harder, but just really proud of them for being composed and taking care of the ball. That lead helped us the whole way."
The defense's settled in as the game moved along, as Army held serve in the second quarter. Each team scored once, with Cassidy Spills getting Rutgers on the board just over a minute into the frame, and Riedell logging Army's final goal before halftime to make the score 6-1.
With the start of the second half looking crucial for Rutgers to mount a comeback, Duffy once again delivered for Army with the first tally of the half with another assist coming from Sullivan. After Rutgers hit iron on a free-position attempt soon after, they were able to clean up on the rebound to bring it back to a five-goal game. The Scarlet Knights had their best spell of the game in the third, scoring twice more to make it a 7-4 scoreline heading into the final quarter.
Army was itself with a woman-up opportunity within the first minute of the frame, as the offense was able to execute as Julia Franzoni was rewarded with her first goal of the game with 14:13 left. A minute later, Sullivan secured a free-position attempt and made no mistake to restore the commanding five-goal lead. Rutgers answered quickly to make it 9-5, but Army had one task at hand which was the see out the clock and focus on its defensive effort.
The dagger came with 6:30 remaining, on a seemingly lost possession for Army as the clock was ticking down. From behind the net, Madison Warne located a cutting Madeline Lenkart who fired Army's tenth goal of the afternoon past Sophia Cardello int he Rutgers cage.
Once again it's a key cut to the net for the Black Knights with Lenkart coming in from the back side and Warne finds her!!
— Army Women's Lacrosse (@ArmyWP_WLax) February 25, 2023
?? https://t.co/hOqw4eVjvx#GoArmy @PatriotLeagueTV @espn pic.twitter.com/WzrPdUqoyL
Army won four of five draw controls in the fourth quarter in the most pivotal stage of the game. "The draw control is huge." said Duffy after the win. "It was tough, Rutgers is really good at the draw. We held tight and were able to get the ball a good amount of times and get down to the offensive end."
The Black Knights improved to 4-0 this season as the clock hit triple zeroes. A team effort from start to finish, Army outshot Rutgers 33-25 in the end while turning the ball over 13 times compared to the Scarlet Knights' 20.
After a rapid start to the season, things will slow down for the Black Knights who play next on Saturday on the road at Hofstra before returning home on March 11th versus Boston University.
