MACON, Ga. - The LIU Brooklyn women's lacrosse team suffered a heartbreaking one-goal loss to Mercer on Saturday evening in Macon, Ga. The Blackbirds comeback fell short, as the Bears scored the game winning goal with just milliseconds on the clock.
Freshman Sierra O'Connor scored her fifth goal of the season and the first of the game early on, just two minutes in on an assist from Dale Cosgrave. Sophomore Tori Shinkowitz scored just over a minute later, before Mary McQueen assisted seniors Colleen Holmes and Brittany Rader on two separate shots for the Blackbirds to take a 4-0 lead.
The Bears scored four straight of their own however, to tie the game back up. A caused turnover from goalkeeper Alexis Maldonado put the ball back in the sticks of the Blackbirds, allowing the duo of Cosgrave and O'Connor to score again. The small lead was short-lived when Mercer tied the game at 5-5 with 15:43 to play in the first.
Neither team would find the back of the net until the 7:22 mark, when Mercer took its first lead of the game, which was quickly lost after a successful free position goal from McQueen. The Bears would then go up by as much as three before sophomore Jenn Peters scored for LIU. Mercer would score once more with seven seconds to go to end the first half.
Coming out of the half, both teams traded goals until Mercer went on a 3-0 run at the 16:43 mark to lead 14-9. Strong defense from the Blackbirds kept the Bears at bay for nearly seven minutes. The Blackbirds looked to be headed into overtime, as McQueen scored again with just seven seconds to play, but Mercer thwarted that hope, scoring with next to no time left on the clock.
Cosgrave was the high scorer for the Blackbirds, with three, while McQueen, Holmes, Peters, and O'Connor each had two. The Blackbirds led in shots, 30-23, as well as ground balls, 30-21.
LIU Brooklyn makes a stop at Kennesaw State on Tuesday, March 10. Game time is set for 6:00 p.m.