GAINESVILLE, FL – The Winthrop lacrosse team battled the 11th-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions hard Friday evening in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, but couldn't grab momentum in the second half, falling 16-6.
Winthrop (20-3) was able to grab the first goal of the contest as Shannon Gallagher found the back of the net 2:18 into the game. Penn State then scored the next three, going up 3-1 with 21:54 on the clock. Kristen Shriver pulled the Eagles within one with a feed from Jordyn Elliott. After the Nittany Lions scored one, Krista Frowein again got Winthrop back within one.
Penn State (12-6) went on a 5-1 run, taking a 9-4 lead with 3:51 remaining in the half. Shriver scored the lone goal for the Eagles in the midst of the Penn State run. Gallagher sent the Eagles into the locker room with some momentum, scoring with 42 seconds on the clock as the Eagles went into the break, down 9-5.
Winthrop grabbed hold of the ball to start the second half and controlled the tempo. Katie Clark found the back of the net with 24:24 on the clock, getting the Eagles within three at 9-6. Just over a minute later the game was halted due to thunderstorms rolling through. After nearly an hour delay the game was restarted.
Only 19 seconds following the weather delay, the Eagles were hit with a big blow as junior defender Paige Jenkins had to leave the game with an arm injury. Winthrop continued to battle over the final 20 minutes of the contest but couldn't find the goal again. Penn State slowly increased its lead, taking the 16-6 victory.
Gallagher and Shriver each finished the game with two goals while Shriver also added one assist. Clark and Frowein each added a tally for the Eagles. Gallagher and Katherine Judge tied for the team lead in ground balls, each picking up four while Judge also corralled five draw controls. Sophomore goalie Alaina Girani played big in the cage, recording 12 saves.
The loss Friday marked the end of the careers of the first graduating class of Winthrop lacrosse: Krista Frowein, Shannon Gallagher, Logan McCarthy, Abigail Blevins, Alexis Kroah, Maggie Montanye, Danielle Ellis, Hayley Krause and Jesse Filyaw-Hiu.
