Women’s lacrosse led or shared the lead with Iona for 57 minutes before falling behind two goals in a 13-11 defeat on Wednesday in New Rochelle.
Graduate student attacker Kelly Trotta tallied five goals with her co-captain sidelined; graduate student attacker Olivia Arntsen set a new career game-high with five.
Iona’s two leading scorers, graduate student midfielder Emily Stewart and junior midfielder Kira Varada, had hat tricks in the fourth-quarter comeback victory.
The Red Foxes (3-12, 2-6 MAAC Conference) either led or shared the lead with the Gaels (11-4, 6-2 MAAC Conference) for 57 minutes before falling behind by two goals in the final three minutes.
With MAAC Tournament chances still in play, Marist needed to win their final two conference games to potentially earn the sixth and final spot.
The Red Foxes began the first quarter with two quick scores; Gutenbeger opened the scoring within one minute, and Trotta restored Marist’s one-goal lead three minutes after an Iona equalizer.
With 7:47 on the clock, tragedy struck for the Red Foxes. Gutenberger looked to cut past her defender but took an awkward step and collapsed to the ground, clutching her knee. Her teammates rushed to her side, hailing for a trainer; she was carted off the field, with both squads looking on in anguish.
Despite losing their captain, Marist remained steadfast in its attack. The freshman duo of attacker Greta Govoni and midfielder Gabby Kingston broke the early 2-2 tie as Marist took a two-goal lead into the second quarter.
Iona’s second-leading scorer, junior midfielder Kira Varada, fired a shot right over the stick of freshman goalie Megan Morris to help erase the two-goal deficit within the first five minutes.
Not to be outdone, Trotta found a backdoor in the Gaels’ defense, slipping a shot past sophomore goalie Lauren Sweeney to retake the lead. Later in the frame, she converted her sixth hat trick on the season to push the lead to 7-4, the largest thus far.
Losing Gutenberger so early on, it would have been safe to assume Marist’s play would have faltered, but that did not happen. Although Iona made a late-quarter push, the Red Foxes stayed in control 7-5 heading into the second half.
Heavy rain set in to start the third quarter, but Marist was not affected. Starting even faster than the first, Trotta nailed her fourth goal of the afternoon to push the lead back to three. Having scored just eight goals against Canisius last week, Marist hit that mark 28 seconds into the second half.
With 6:10 left in the third, Trotta came screaming again towards the net. Arntsen flipped up her new collegiate game-high fourth assist, which Trotta collected and batted past Sweeney for her third five-goal game of the season.
Iona would not be deterred. With 38 seconds left in the third, the Gaels finished a 3-0 run; Iona’s leading scorer, graduate student midfielder Emily Stewart, hit her stride at the right time to equalize the contest for the first time since early in the second quarter.
Marist was losing their momentum with their backs against the wall. Iona was sniffing their first lead of the day, and the Red Foxes needed an answer.
Arntsen dropped a beautiful pass into the bucket of junior midfielder Chloe Birckhead with one second on the shot clock to jump back in front, but the Gaels responded 20 seconds later.
After being knocked to the ground, the referees awarded Govoni a free-position attempt with 7:36 left in the game. A one-step rocket smacked the back of the net to yet again put Marist back in front.
Iona rose to the occasion in the final five minutes; Varada scored her fourth of the game on an underhanded finish, and Stewart put the Gaels on top for the first time all game. A final goal by junior attacker Kacie Scarduzio put the nail in the coffin.
Marist, who led or shared the game for nearly 57 minutes, collapsed when it mattered most. Despite a career day by Arntsen and another offensive explosion by Trotta, not having Gutenberger on the field reared its ugly head.
Losers of their sixth straight conference game, their MAAC Tournament chances are all but gone.
The Red Foxes look to finish their season on a high note as they travel to Emmitsburg, Maryland, to take on Mount St. Mary’s. Opening draw is set for noon.
Edited by Sam Murphy
Photo and Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
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