Women’s lacrosse avoids overtime with adrenaline-filled play

By: Paige Apps

In a game that had all the makings of a classic, the Canisius women’s lacrosse team delivered one of their most thrilling moments of the season Wednesday afternoon.

With time expiring, sophomore Makenna Crouse buried a bounce shot off a feed from junior Megan Previdi to lift Canisius to a stunning 15–14 comeback victory over the Quinnipiac Bobcats at the Demske Sports Complex.

The buzzer-beating finish capped a frantic final minute and secured the Griffs’ fourth straight win, improving them to 8–2 overall and 2–0 in MAAC play.

Trailing by two goals with just over three minutes remaining, Canisius appeared on the brink before mounting a rapid response. Junior Lauren Matyka and freshman Ella Forcucci scored just 40 seconds apart to even the contest at 14–14 with 39 seconds left, setting the stage for the decisive sequence.

Following a crucial draw control win by senior Maggie Tifft, the Griffs pushed upfield in the closing seconds. Previdi, positioned behind the cage, found Crouse cutting into space, and the sophomore finished the play with 0.1 seconds remaining as the horn sounded to complete the comeback.

“I think that we have a new mindset, especially coming off of an okay season last year,” Crouse commented after the match. “I think we got the mindset that we’re gonna go out there, play gritty, put your whole entire heart out there and try to do everything we can.”

Forcucci, once again, led the offensive charge, tallying five goals and an assist in another standout performance. Sophomore Katie Adams added four goals, giving the Griffs a powerful one-two scoring combination throughout the afternoon.

Canisius also controlled possession in key moments, led by freshman Brooklyn Sverdrup, who secured a game-high seven draw controls as the Griffs held an 18–11 advantage in the circle.

In goal, graduate student Isabel Gautreaux made eight saves to earn the win, helping anchor a defense that withstood multiple runs in a back-and-forth contest.

The game featured momentum swings throughout. After falling behind early, Canisius responded with a strong opening-quarter push and built a 6–3 lead in the second before the Bobcats rallied to tie the game at halftime. The second half continued in similar fashion, with both teams trading runs and neither able to pull away, but the Griffs’ late-game composure proved decisive.

“I think the last couple weeks we’ve had so much fun working really hard, but they’re having fun out there,” said Head Coach Russell Allen in the postgame interview. “I think it’s kind of reminded them that, yeah, it’s a long season. We start to practice in August. We love this sport, we love being together, and we’re ready to win.”

The victory continued a dominant stretch at home for Canisius, who improved to 5–0 this season on the Demske beach and extended its winning streak in Buffalo dating back to last year. The win also marked the second time in three seasons the program has opened with eight victories in its first 10 games.

With momentum and conference play underway, the Griffs now turn their attention to a key road matchup against the Fairfield Stags, one of three other teams alongside Canisius with a 2–0 record in conference play. The contest is set for Saturday as the Blue and Gold look to continue their early-season surge against one of the conference’s top contenders.

Via Tom Wolf