Panthers Bounce Back with Road Win Over Siena

Sunday, February 19

Loudonville, NY

12:00 PM

Pitt

Siena

Photo by: Pitt Athletics

Panthers Bounce Back with Road Win Over Siena

2/19/2023 6:05:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

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LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. – Pitt Lacrosse got back on track Sunday with a bounce back win over Siena at Hickey Field. The Panthers responded time and time again during the contest to secure a close, 13-11 win over the Saints.

"I'm really proud of the team today," said Head Coach Emily Boissonneault after the victory. "We faced a similar start to the Binghamton game, but this time the team played together, stayed focused and made the adjustments necessary to come out with the win."

Siena scored first, less than a minute after the opening whistle and scored three times total through fifteen minutes, but the Panthers held their own. Senior transfer Camdyn O'Donnell and sophomore Talia Zuco both scored from the free position to keep the game close.

In the second period, strong play from graduate goalie Hannah Van Middelem and goals from sophomore Dylana Williams, O'Donnell, sophomore Sydney Naylor, Zuco, and sophomore Maeve Murray turned the game in Pitt's favor. Van Middelem stopped seven shots in the quarter, the most in any this season, which let the momentum shift towards the Panther sideline.

The Saints did trim the lead down to one after three quarters, especially due to Mary Soures securing her hat trick. However, sophomore Ava Washington scored each of her two goals and Murray added one on her own to maintain a lead for the blue and gold entering the final frame.

In the fourth, Pitt controlled much of the ball and withstood the Siena pressure to regain possession time and time again. Junior Emily Coughlin was steady all over the field Sunday and provided a critical goal, plus O'Donnell finished off her hat trick and Naylor sent a laser into the top shelf to put an exclamation point on the win.

"It was a great feeling to be able to come back after Thursday's loss," Coughlin said following the victory. "We played as a team today and that was one of our main goals for the game."

The recipe today proved to be similar to the first win of the 2023 season for Pitt: a balanced offensive attack. Seven Panthers scored and Van Middelem added a season high 15 saves to lead the defensive effort. The Pitt defense caused seven turnovers on the day and won the ground ball battle 20-15, two other critical factors in securing a win.

"It is really exciting that our home opener is against a strong ACC opponent," said Coughlin about facing Syracuse next. "We are going to keep working hard this week and get ready to give it our all on Saturday."

Pitt opens their home schedule with an ACC battle against #4 Syracuse. Opening draw is set for 12 p.m. at Highmark Stadium and admission is free for all fans. The Panther roster features two transfers from Syracuse: Van Middelem and graduate Molly Carter.