The women’s lacrosse team beat Wittenberg  University 17–16 with a last-second point in overtime on Saturday, April 8.

“We were able to find really good connections, and I think our spacing was really good, which we’ve been having a little bit of trouble with in the past few games,” said Alexa Maloney, ’17. “Defensive-wise, the crashes were really great. We kept them from scoring a lot, and [Kaelin Clogan, ’17] had a lot of saves which really helped the team out.”

Maloney scored the game-winning goal with an assist from Maddie Olson, ’20. Maloney said she was open and saw Olson looking to pass, then caught the ball and made the goal.

“I didn’t even realize there was still time left on the clock,” Maloney said. “It was a dream. It was really great, and I felt really proud of our whole team because we fought the entire game, and there were people who worked really hard the entire time to help get us to where we were.”

Sarah Basden, ’18, said the team showed up mentally and was ready to take on Wittenberg.

“We lost against them in the playoff game last year, but we beat them in a regular season game, so I think we were ready to get that revenge win on their home turf,” Basden said.

Maloney said the team knew Wittenberg would be a challenge going into the game, and there was a lot of back and forth in the game.

“Wittenberg is always a challenge, period. They’re a tough team. They’re competitive,” Head Coach Ashley Hughes said. “I think with that team in particular, they’re very talented all the way around, so it was yet another team we were facing that was going to push our limits and demand that we were playing our best game in order to get a win.”

Hughes said the team is young in terms of experience and many players are in new positions.

“I was kind of nervous about our inexperience, but I think what we proved on Saturday was that, that isn’t going to be a factor this year,” Hughes said. “We really came out and played together as a team and excelled. We played with maturity and composure, and I think that that’s something we’ve been up and down with earlier in the season, but finally hit our stride on Saturday.”

The women played Oberlin College on Tuesday, April 11, coming out with a 14–3 loss.

“I think after our game against Oberlin, we showed that we can’t just expect things to fall into our laps, and we have to earn every win,” Hughes said. “I think from here, we have to use that as a momentum push in the right direction and get our heads ready for Saturday, which will be another competitive, big game, and we need to make sure we’re ready in all regards for another conference competitor.”

As the end of the season approaches, Maloney said the team is working on coming out with intensity and maintaining communication on the field.

“Simply making connections on the field can sometimes be tough, but I think we’re a very mental team, so if we’re not mentally there, then we’re not going to show up physically,” Basden said. “I think it’s a matter of not goofing around before a game and keeping each other accountable for keeping our heads in the game.”

While the team’s goal is to make it to the playoffs, Hughes wants the senior class to end their last season on a high note.

“For the senior class, which is very near and dear to my heart, I want to see them get every last minute that they deserve in terms of their careers, and I want them to feel good about leaving here,” Hughes said.

Maloney said she is looking forward to spending the last few weeks with her teammates and bonding on their last away trips.

“I really love all of my teammates so much, and it makes me really sad that I’m going to have to leave them,” Maloney said. “We’re starting to get to that point where people are starting to realize that there’s 30 days left until graduation, and we still have so many games left, so I’m thankful for that.”

The women will face DePauw University at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 15, at home.