CASTINE, Maine — Despite controlling stretches of play and holding a slim edge in shots, Maine Maritime Academy opened its women's lacrosse season with an 8-5 setback to Norwich University on Thursday at Ritchie Field.
Maine Maritime (0-1) fell behind early as Norwich (1-0) capitalized on its first-quarter opportunities to build a 3-0 advantage. The Mariners defense settled in as the opening period progressed, but the Cadets extended their lead to 4-0 midway through the second quarter.
Maine Maritime broke through late in the half when junior
Julia Wade finished a scoring chance to put the Mariners on the board and shift momentum heading into the break. The goal energized the Mariners, who came out aggressively in the third quarter.
Junior
Lillian Diversi sparked the offense with back-to-back unassisted goals during a decisive third-quarter stretch. Her ability to create space off the dodge and finish in tight space trimmed the deficit to three and forced Norwich to adjust defensively. Diversi later added an assist to finish with three points on the afternoon, pacing the Mariners' attack.
The Mariners continued to press in the fourth quarter. Senior
Rebecca Caron found the net during a sustained offensive possession, and Wade added her second goal of the game to keep Maine Maritime within striking distance. The Mariners' ball movement improved as the game wore on, generating quality looks and contributing to a 23-18 edge in total shots.
Defensively, Maine Maritime showed resilience after the early deficit. Senior
Ella Bowes recorded eight saves, several coming during critical stretches in the second half to prevent the margin from widening. The Mariners also tightened their marking and forced contested attempts as they attempted to mount a late comeback.
Despite outshooting the Cadets and showing steady improvement as the game progressed, Maine Maritime could not fully overcome the early gap.
The Mariners will look to bounce back on the road Tuesday when they faceoff with the University of New England beginning at 4 p.m.
