BELMONT, N.C. - The Queens University of Charlotte Women's Lacrosse Team scored the final five goals of the game to erase a 7-5 Belmont Abbey lead to earn a 10-7 non-conference win this afternoon at Alumni Field. Queens moves to 7-5, while the Abbey drops to 3-6.
The Crusaders got on the board first going up 2-0 before Amanda Martin (Geneva, N.Y. , Geneva) scored a goal sparking a 3-to-0 run for Queens taking over the lead.
The Royals carried a 5-4 lead into the break after Abbey's Laura Dowd cut the deficit to one with 3:57 left in the first. The Crusaders maintained their momentum into the second half, scoring three unanswered goals in the first 12 minutes, the last two coming 20 seconds apart, to open up a 7-5 lead with 18:01 to go.
Dowd scored the first goal of the half on a free position shot to deadlock the game at five. Just over four minutes later, Kim Taylor gave the Crusaders their first lead since the early part of the first half with a goal. Susan Killeavy won the ensuing draw control raced into the Queens end, circled around the net and scored just 19 seconds later to widen the lead to 7-5, but the Abbey would not score again.
After an Abbey yellow card, Kristi Kemp (Lake Mary, Fla., Winter Springs) and Caitlin O'Rourke ( Winter Springs, Fla., Winter Springs ) scored back-to-back to knot the contest at seven. Kemp's tally came at 15:17 and O'Rourke tied the game at the 13:20 mark.
3:18 later, Angelique Morabito ( East Rochester, N.Y., East Rochester ) put the Royals ahead for good, beating Tory Morgan for an 8-7 Royals lead. Queens won the ensuing draw control and kept possession, running down the clock to the 4:28 mark when Shannon Casey (Bel Air, Md., John Carroll) found a streaking Martin, who fired a shot into the back of the net to extend the advantage to a pair. Casey closed the scoring with three seconds left to provide the winning margin.
Queens outshot the Abbey 27-24 and the Crusaders held a 33-27 edge in ground balls. Martin and Dowd tied for the game-high with three goals apiece. Casey added a pair, while Kemp, O'Rourke, Morabito, Brittany Philip (Corning, N.Y., Corning East) and Paige Fisher (Schwenksville, Pa., Perkiomen Valley) all had one for the Royals. Casey handed out three assists. Morabito had two and Philip had one.
Along with Dowd, the Abbey received one goal each from Killeavy, Taylor, Elyse Mohn and Megan Patton. Mohn had the only assist. Dowd led the way with five draw control wins and six ground balls. Morgan made eight saves in the net and scooped up eight ground balls. Akasha Kasper (Greensboro, N.C., Western Guilford) led Queens with five ground balls. Goalkeeper Chelsea Lancashire (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Nease) made 12 saves, six in each half.
Queens will travel to play third-ranked Limestone on Saturday at noon.
