Lindenwood women’s lacrosse (9-1, 2-0 ASUN) ran their win streak up to seven games with a 16-15 overtime win over Atlantic Sun opponent Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (4-7, 0-2 ASUN). The win was the Lions second in conference play thus far and was payback after suffering a loss in the ASUN semifinals to Coastal last season.
Alissa DiGiacinto led the way for the Lions with six goals, including the game-winner in overtime.
Luci Selander racked up five goals with an assist. Selander is coming off an ASUN offensive player of the week honoree.
Reese Kreiger and Ryleigh Cavanaugh each tallied two goals in the win and Isabella Rulapaugh also netted a goal. Cavanaugh also had 13 draw controls as she continues to be one of the best at her position.
Aislinn Sweeney had five saves in the net including two crucial ones late in the fourth quarter to help send the game to overtime.
DiGiacinto got the Lions on the board first with a nice goal off an assist from Rulapaugh before Coastal responded by scoring the next four goals to take a commanding 4-1 lead. Lindenwood responded behind a pair of goals from Selander and DiGiacinto’s second to tie the game up at 4-4 with 3:48 to go in the first.
Coastal retook the lead before back-to-back goals from DiGiacinto and Cavanaugh put the Lions up 6-5 at the end of one quarter of play.
In a low scoring second quarter the Chanticleers scored the first three goals to retake an 8-6 lead the latter capped by back-to-back goals from Brigid Cardillo before Selander and Krieger tied up the match headed into the half.
Coastal scored first again to open the third before two straight goals from DiGiacinto put Lindenwood back up 10-9. Both teams traded goals before Rulapaugh got the ball with the clock running down in the quarter, made a nice move on her defender and fired a dart into the back of the net and the buzzer sounded giving the Lions a 12-11 lead into the fourth.
Selander scored first in the final quarter to double the Lions lead before Coastal tied it up at 13-13 with goals from Maddie Bates and Sydney McClure. McClure would score again followed by Alexandra Horn with 4:23 left to put Coastal up 15-14 after a Kreiger goal for Lindenwood.
Sweeney made a nifty save with less than two minutes to go in the game to give the ball back to her offense with a chance to tie the game and send it to overtime. With the clock winding down Lindenwood was trying to use their speed to penetrate the Chanticleers defense but they wouldn’t budge. Finally, we less than 30 seconds left Rulapaugh was able to dart towards the net and made her way behind the net before firing a pass in the middle finding the stick of Cavanaugh who in a mess of bodies was able to catch it and put it in the back of the net tying the game with 21 seconds left.
In overtime, Selander won the draw control setting up Lindenwood with a chance to win the game and win it they did. The ball found its way to DiGiacinto who took it all the way towards the net before planting her foot and firing the ball past the Chanticleers goalkeeper for the game winner.
The Lions will have a week off but get to stay home as they look to host Jacksonville University on Saturday, April 5 with first draw control coming at 1 p.m. streaming exclusively on ESPN+.
