Women's Lacrosse Battles, Falls Late At Norwich, 13-12

NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's lacrosse team dropped a heartbreaker to the Norwich University (NOR) Cadets, 13-12, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) road contest Saturday afternoon at Sabine Field.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Saint Joseph 12, Norwich 13
Records: USJ 4-7 (2-5 GNAC), NOR 6-2 (5-1 GNAC)
Location: Sabine Field | Northfield, Vt.

Similar to the men's lacrosse game, fans were treated to a back-and-forth battle with a truly nail-biting finish, as the Cadets held on to the slimmest of margins after USJ scored with seconds to play. The Blue Jays just ran out of time. Junior attack Makenzie Dinger (Hingham, Mass.) was once again the leading scorer with six goals. In doing so, Dinger has set a new single-season school record with 52 goals, breaking Rose St. Hilaire's mark of 51 from 2016.

Makenzie Dinger vs Rose St. Hilaire

Season Comparison

                      Dinger            St. Hilaire

Season           2022                2016

Games            11<<                15

Goals              52                    51

Assists            2                      7

Points             54                    58

>> Six games remaining

Her 52 is also tied for the most this season in the GNAC. Senior midfielder Jenna Banta (Montville, Conn.) meanwhile added three more goals to up her total to 45, good for third in the GNAC. The duo have scored 97 of 124 USJ goals this season (78%). Sophomore midfielder Ana Nogueira (Trumbull, Conn.) also had three goals in the setback. Six different players scored for Norwich including senior midfielder Allison Sturgeon (Monticello, Ind.), who had a team-high five goals in the victory.

The key period was the second as Norwich outscored Saint Joseph, 6-1. Even with that, the Blue Jays kept fighting and eventually cut the lead to one with 36 seconds left on a late goal by Banta. Norwich won the draw control though and was able to run the clock out.

COACH QUOTE [Karen Nell]
"This was a toughly contested game. Today they were just the better team. I love the fight that we showed though and I know if we continue to show that fight and take advantage of our opportunities, we will put ourselves in position to win."

NUMBER TO KNOW

52– Dinger now has 52 goals on the season, breaking the USJ single season record of 51, set by Rose St. Hilaire in 2016. Dinger still has six games to extend the record.

GOALIE BREAKDOWN

USJ – Senior goalkeeper and captain Nina Lestrud (Torrington, Conn.) dipped to 4-7 on the season with a seven-save, 60-minute performance, allowing 13 goals.

NOR – Senior goalie Katie Bishop-Manning (New York, N.Y.) picked up the win (5-2), allowing 12 goals on 21 shots in a full 60 minutes of action.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays will be back home for their next three games and four of their next five, starting first with a matchup against the AMCATS of Anna Maria College in GNAC action. The match will be held on Tuesday, April 5 at 6:00 p.m. on the USJ Lacrosse Field.

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