AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University lacrosse team hung around, but could not complete a comeback in their final home game of the season, falling 13-10 to the Warriors of Webber International University. The Gyrenes held an early 2-1 lead, but Webber kept AMU at bay for the remainder of the match to clinch the final spot in next week's Sun Conference Tournament. Before the contest, AMU lacrosse honored the two members of the class of 2023.
Thursday's game had a frenetic pace early on, with four goals scored - two from each team - in the first three minutes and eight seconds. After taking an early 2-1 lead, the Gyrenes were kept off the board for more than eleven minutes, while the Warriors scored three goals in that stretch to go ahead, 4-2. Monrae Prentice pulled AMU within one before the end of the frame, cutting the Webber lead to 4-3 with a free position shot with just over a minute to play in the first.
Webber kept up the offensive pressure in the second quarter, scoring twice in the first four minutes of the quarter to widen their lead to three, 6-3. AMU finally got back on the board with 6:37 to play, as the Gyrenes took advantage of playing 12-on-10, leading to a goal from Abigail Seiler. The teams traded goals for the remainder of the half, with Webber taking an 8-6 lead into the halftime break after a buzzer-beating goal from Seiler cut the Warriors lead to two.
Ave Maria kept the momentum from the buzzer beater going into the third quarter, as a Hannah Shaffrey goal cut the Webber lead to one less than two minutes into the third. The remainder of the third quarter was played in runs, as two straight Webber goals were answered by two straight goals from the Gyrenes. The quarter ended where it started, with Webber up two, when Makayla Senter scored with 38 seconds left to give the Warriors an 11-9 lead heading to the fourth.
Both defenses tightened up in the fourth quarter, with only one goal scored in the first ten minutes of the quarter. Webber scored that lone goal, then added another with just over four minutes to play to all but seal the conference victory. Claire Ichniowski scored the final goal of the evening, tallying AMU's tenth goal of the contest with under a minute to play.
Seiler was Ave Maria's leading scorer in the losing effort, scoring four goals. Orianna Eldridge and Kylie Tittinger combined for nine ground balls on defense. All three mentioned players - Seiler, Eldridge, and Tittinger - also added four caused turnovers against the visiting Warriors.
The loss eliminates the Gyrenes from postseason contention, regardless of the outcome of Saturday's regular season finale. Ave Maria will close the season with a chance for one of the biggest upsets in program history, when the Gyrenes take on No. 1 Keiser University in West Palm Beach. Opening draw is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
