RIVERDALE, N.Y. | In a regular-season finale that featured nine ties and seven lead changes, it was a three-goal spurt in the final three minutes of Saturday afternoon's Skyline Conference women's lacrosse game that sent visiting Farmingdale State College to a 15-14 victory over College of Mount Saint Vincent at Marillac Field.
FSC (8-7, 6-1 Skyline) won its third straight contest, and will enter next week's six-team Skyline Conference Championship with the No. 2 seed and a bye into Thursday's (May 5) semifinal round. Head coach Erin Calkins's Rams will play host to the winner of Tuesday's 3 vs. 6 first-round contest, with seedings, pairings and game times to be announced later this weekend.
Four players registered hat tricks for Farmingdale State, including sophomore midfielder Megan Diamond (Dix Hills, N.Y.), who posted career-bests in goals (five) and points (eight), and junior attack Jasmin Brown (Shirley, N.Y.), who tied with Diamond for the team-high with three assists to round out a six-point afternoon. Also scoring three times apiece for the Rams were Athena Vogiatzis (Holtsville, N.Y.) and senior Chayanne Melendez (Brentwood, N.Y.), who added one assist in the triumph.
Mount Saint Vincent (4-6, 2-5) held a 5-3 lead after one period of play, netting four of the last five goals in the frame, before the teams traded four goals apiece in the second stanza to give the Dolphins a 9-7 halftime edge.
A pair of free-position goals by Brown in the final three minutes of the third quarter highlighted a 4-1 stint by the visitors and gave FSC an 11-10 lead heading into the final period of play.
From there, Mount Saint Vincent scored the first three goals of the period before the Rams countered with goals by Brown, Melendez and Diamond (on a free-position shot) to hold a 15-13 lead with 1:47 on the clock. The Dolphins scored once more with one minute showing on the scoreboard, before FSC controlled the ensuing draw and ran out the clock in the offensive zone to secure the decision.
Brown controlled a team and career-best six draws in the possession game, while freshman Alyssa Guerra (Bay Shore, N.Y.) scooped a team and season-high five ground balls. Sophomore keeper Ronnie Reilly (Oceanside, N.Y.) turned aside nine shots by the Dolphins, including five in the third period to allow FSC to go on its run, to pick up the win in net.