WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — After a big win on Thursday, the Ave Maria Lacrosse team fell to the Keiser Seahawks 18-6 in the Sun Conference Semifinal. The Gyrenes had a tough time keeping the ball out of the defensive end in the first half as Keiser raced out to an 11-2 lead at the break.
The Seahawks scored the first five goals of the game as the attacked the Gyrenes early. Maura Barnes was the first one to put the Gyrenes on the scoreboard, striking with just 90 seconds remaining in the opening frame. Keiser netted one more goal in the final minute however and took a 6-1 lead into the second quarter.
Allison Fifield scored the first goal of the second quarter to bring the margin back down to four, but that was the last goal AMU would get in the first half.
Keiser scored the final five goals of the half, including a strike with three seconds remaining to make the halftime score 11-2.
The third quarter was the only even frame between the two squads as each team scored four goals. Keiser scored the first, taking a 10-goal lead, but the Gyrenes immediately responded with four straight.
Fifield scored her second and third goals less than a minute apart for the first two goals of the stretch for AMU. Sophie Paige scored her first goal of the game just 40 seconds later, cashing in on an assist from Lily Hynds. Barnes logged her second goal of the game to make it four straight from the Gyrenes and bring them back within six.
At that point, Ave Maria could see the path to a comeback, but the Seahawks shut those thoughts down. Keiser scored three more goals before the end of the quarter and then scored three more in the fourth while shutting out the Gyrenes. The final horn sounded with Keiser on top 18-6.
Individually, Fifield led the team with three points. Barnes was the only Gyrene to hit multiple points at two.
In the midfield, Ave Maria had a slight edge in draw controls winning 13 of the 25. Annie Dhabliwala led the team with seven.
Defensively, Elie Coyle led the team with three caused turnovers, followed by Madeline Hicks with two. Hicks, Coyle and Fifield each logged two ground balls to lead the team.
In goal, Pieniadz tied her season-high with 11 saves. Unfortunately, Ave Maria lost both of those games, with her first 11-save performance coming in the loss to Cumberlands.
The loss drops Ave Maria's record to 11-6 and knocks the Gyrenes out of the Sun Conference Tournament.
The Gyrenes now wait to see if their best season in program history is enough to earn at large bid to the NAIA National Tournament. The Sun Conference has consistently sent three teams to the eight-team tournament, usually being SCAD, Keiser and Life. Ave Maria upset Life in the regular season and earned a few more key Top-10 victories over the course of the year.
The selection show is set for Monday, May 4, at 5 p.m. eastern on the NAIA YouTube channel. If the Gyrenes do get a bid, the National Tournament begins May 11 in Decatur, Alabama.
