A goal in overtime enabled Coastal Carolina to beat East Carolina, 15-14, in Saturday’s lacrosse match.
The Pirates dropped to 1-2 on the season despite a three-goal game by Riley Matthiesen and Erin Guiden.
Below is a report from ECU Sports Information.
Check out Pirate Radio
Website | Facebook | X (formerly Twitter) | Instagram | YouTube
=====
Above photo: Emily Stratton (ECU Sports Information photo)
CONWAY, S.C. – The East Carolina lacrosse team saw an epic comeback come up short in a 15-14 overtime loss to Coastal Carolina on Saturday afternoon. It was a thriller of a contest and one which either team would have been deserving of winning.
Coastal Carolina (4-2) got out to a hot start in the game with a 5-0 run after the Pirates (1-2) scored the opening goal. The Chanticleers used the momentum to open up a 6-2 lead after a quarter of play, including a pair apiece by Sydney McClure and Alyson Mascalo, and eventually a six-goal lead at 8-2.
Not going quietly, the Pirates used a 7-2 run to draw within one in the third quarter and force a goalkeeper change for Coastal Carolina, replacing Charlotte Sadler with Kylie Pastor. Sadler had fared well with eight saves but facing the ECU run, the Chanticleers looked to the bench. The hosts went back to Sadler to begin the fourth quarter with an 11-9 margin on the scoreboard before making the switch yet again at the 11:28 mark.
Offensively for the Pirates during that run, six different players found the net and Erin Gulden notched her first hattrick of the season with her second and third goals of the day. On the other side, Jaime Behar, despite her 11 goals allowed through three goals, made some critical saves at key moments to keep her team alive and provide some possession for her team to claw back into it.
The Pirates got within a single goal three times in the second half before Riley Matthiesen finally tallied the leveling goal with 7:28 to play, knotting the game at 12 apiece and forcing a Coastal timeout.
After the Chanticleers scored the game’s next two goals, Matthiesen and Rachel Chessock tallied the final two of regulation with Chessock’s tying goal coming with just 10 seconds remaining to force overtime.
Though the Pirates won the draw control to open the overtime period, it was Coastal Carolina who got the final say with the sudden-victory goal by Gabrielle Beaudet on a free position shot with 33 seconds remaining.
It should be noted that there may not have been any chance of a comeback save for the efforts of Grace McCarthy on the draw. The sophomore gathered 10 draw controls of her own, one off of her career high and helped the team to a 21-12 margin on the game.
Up Next
The Pirates head west for their California trip beginning at San Diego State on March 9.