NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - The Purple Eagles women's lacrosse team overcame an early deficit to defeat the Binghamton Bearcats, 8-7, to kick off its 2018 campaign.
 
Game Summary

• Final Score: Niagara 8, Binghamton 7
• Offensive Leaders: Rachel MacCheyne (4G, 1A), Alexis Morales (1G, 1A), Caroline Crump (1G, 1A)
• Defensive Leaders: Alexandra Higgins (7 GB, 5 CT, 3 DC), Lauren Paul (7 GB, 3 CT), Amy McNally (3 GB, 3 CT)
• In Goal: Olivia Schroeder (1-0) – 7 GA, 8 SV
• Records: Niagara – 1-0; Binghamton – 1-1
• Location: Niagara Field – Niagara Univ., N.Y.
• Attendance: 387

Game Recap

• Binghamton surged to a 3-0 lead after scoring all three goals over a span of 27 seconds in the first two minutes of the game. Jaqueline Kennedy opened scoring 1:15 into the game, followed by two goals from Brianne Arthur which were separated by 14 and 13 seconds, respectively.
• MacCheyne scored 3:53 into the game to get Niagara on the board. Both teams would each score twice more before half to give Binghamton a 5-3 halftime lead.
• The Purple Eagles scored the first two goals of the second half to tie the game at 5-5. MacCheyne scored her second of the game from the free position 2:38 into the second half and Caroline Crump tied the game, 5-5, just 51 seconds later.
• Binghamton regained the lead 14 seconds after Niagara had tied the game after a third goal from Arthur.
• Niagara tied the game just nine seconds later when MacCheyne setup Morales who scored a nifty behind-the-back goal.
• MacCheyne recorded her hat-trick with 21:33 remaining in the game to give Niagara the 7-6 lead before registering a fourth goal and extending the Purple Eagles' lead to 8-6 with 6:55 remaining off an assist from Morales.
• The Bearcats cut Niagara's lead in half when Kennedy scored from the free position with just under five minutes remaining in the game but could not find an equalizer in the closing minutes and Niagara came away with 8-7 season-opening victory.

 
Coach's Corner

•  "We battled today for 60 minutes," said head coach Wendy Stone. "Things didn't go the way we wanted from the start, but we were able to fight through and make plays when it counted. This is a great place for us to start and we will continue to work to get better as we head into our game against St. Bonaventure on Thursday."

 
Inside the Numbers

• MacCheyne tallied five points (4 G, 1A) on the afternoon, the same mark she set last season against Binghamton.
• Crump and Morales each recorded a goal and an assist. Samantha Brill and Shea Swartwout each recorded a goal, while Hailey D'Hont had her lone assist on Brill's goal late in the first half.
• Higgins (7 GB, 5 CT, 3 DC) and Paul (7 GB, 3 CT) led the Purple Eagles defensively. MacCheyne had a team-high five draw controls.
• Niagara held advantages over Binghamton in shots (26-25), draw controls (10-7) and ground balls (38-36).

 
Up Next

• Niagara opens a five-game road trip on Thursday, Feb. 22 when they face rival St. Bonaventure. Opening draw is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

 
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