Long Registers Decisive Goal To Complete Second-Half Comeback For Goucher Women's Lacrosse, 11-9

BALTIMORE, Md. – Alyssa Long (Pennsburg, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) scored the go-ahead goal with 9:51 remaining to propel Goucher College past Notre Dame University of Maryland in non-conference women's lacrosse action on Tuesday.

Trailing 9-6, Julia Gazzola (Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown) (23.48), Camryn Agostino (South Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) (16:56) and Emily Flinn (Ashland, Va./Patrick Henry) (11:51) scored three-straight goals to tie the match at 9.

Long, who had shot attempts saved at 21:11 and 20:25 in the second half when she tried hit the same spot both times right at the netminder, took a pass from Flinn and changed her angle and buried what proved to be the decisive tally. Agostino then helped seal the 11-9 win when she set up Gazzola with 4:53 remaining.

Gazzola paced the Gophers with five goals. It was her first five-goal performance of the season and fourth of her career. The sophomore, who has registered two or more goals in all six matches this season, has tallied 11 three-goal+ games and 15 multigoal performances in her career.

Agostino tallied two goals and two assists while Shannon Stull (Westminster, Md./Francis Scott Key) registered two markers and an assist in the winning effort. Agostino has posted at least two tallies and two helpers in a game for the third time this season and the sixth time in her career while Stull notched her 30th multigoal contest.

Abbie McHerron (Burnt Hills, N.Y./Burnt Hills) registered nine saves, but came up big in the second half. After the Gators went 4-for-6 at free-position attempts in the first half, Notre Dame scored both of their second half goals on 8-meter opportunities while McHerron also turned away three free-position attempts in the stanza. The current Landmark Conference Defensive Athlete of the Week added two saves on other shots and five ground balls in the second half and six for the game to help make the Goucher comeback possible.

After the Gators scored the first goal of the game, the Gophers scored the next two goals to take a 2-1 edge. Stull got the visitors on the scoreboard on an 8-meter tally at 21:30 before Gazzola notched her first goal of the game at 14:15. Notre Dame tied the game at 2 before Stull registered her second free-position marker at 12:55 for a 3-2 lead.

The Gators scored the next five goals to take a 7-3 advantage. Gazzola cut the margin to two goals at 7-5 off feeds from Agostino at 3:04 and Stull at 1:37. 

Not making excuses for the first half, but Alumnae Field is a natural grass surface and is something the Gophers are not used to since they play on a turf field at Beldon Field. The team struggled with the lack of bounce off the grass in the first half, but the second half adjustments made the difference.

Notre Dame scored the first goal of the second half before Agostino twinkled the twine unassisted at 25:25. After the Gators scored with 25:04 left, Goucher held the Gators off the scoreboard for the rest of the time while the offense strung together a decisive 5-0 run to end the game to earn its first win against a Maryland program since 2016.

Soleil Gagne (Portsmouth, N.H./Portsmouth) and Katarina Molchen (Morgantown, Pa./Twin Valley) paced the defense with two ground balls and two caused turnovers.

The Gophers are 4-2 on the year for the second-straight year and the fourth time since joining the Landmark Conference.

Goucher returns to action at home against Wesley College on Saturday. Match time is 1 p.m