The UW-Eau Claire women’s lacrosse team lost their season opening game against the Kalamazoo College Hornets, 17-16 on Saturday, March 2.
The Blugolds outshot the Hornets by a 36 to 22 margin and forced 26 turnovers of the Hornets, something that head coach Michael Rhodovi thinks the team did well.
“It played a pivotal role in our ability to stay in the game and close the scoring gap the way we did,” Rhodovi said.
Despite the Blugolds opening the scoring with a goal from third-year Alexie Romanelli, they fell behind 4-2 at the end of the first quarter and trailed at halftime by a score of 9-5.
Trailing 16-8 at the end of the third quarter, the Blugolds were able to piece together an eight goal rally after Kalamazoo scored the opening goal of the quarter. But this eight goal rally fell just short of tying the game up at the end of regulation.
Despite the loss, Rhodovi appreciated the way his team competed and didn’t give up at any point in the game.
“I love how this team battled back the way they did in the fourth,” Rhodovi said. “It showed character and was truly a sight to see and be a part of. They never quit at any point in the game, and I’m very impressed that it was an entire team effort and not just on the shoulders of one or two people.”
The Blugold scoring was led by Romanelli, third-year Sammi Burns and second-year Reegan Werner who all had three goals each during the contest, with first-year Jess Stiller chipping in with two goals.
Saturday’s game also marked Rhodovi’s first game as head coach of the team and despite the loss, he feels a sense of pride in coaching this team.
“I’m very proud of this team and the women on it and I had a blast coaching them on Saturday afternoon,” Rhodovi said. “I think it’s a perfect game to use as a building block for the team in the future because it shows their mettle and strength together as a unit.”
The Blugolds next game will take place this upcoming Saturday, March 9 at 3 p.m. when they travel to play Marian University in Fond du Lac.
Mikalofsky can be reached at [email protected].
