Box Score

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Gettysburg College and The College of New Jersey turned in another epic lacrosse battle Thursday evening with the second-ranked Lions knocking off the top-ranked Bullets 7-6 at Clark Field.
 
It was the fifth season in a row the outcome between Gettysburg (8-1) and TCNJ (5-1) was decided by a single goal. The Bullets had possession of the ball with a minute to go, but the Lions came up with a big defensive stop with just over 30 seconds remaining to seal the win.
 
Senior Emma Christie (Cos Cob, Conn./Greenwich) scored four goals for Gettysburg, while junior Katie Willis (Baltimore, Md./Notre Dame Prep) dished out three assists. Junior Katie Landry (Hingham, Mass./Hingham) tallied one goal and one assist.
 
Mia Blackman turned in three goals to lead TCNJ.
 
Cloudy skies and a little pre-game rain did little to dampen the excitement as the two teams took the field for the opening draw. Gettysburg won possession, but a turnover handed the ball to TCNJ for the first time. Alex Fitzpatrick converted the first shot of the game 1:32 in.
 
A pair of saves by senior goalie Shannon Keeler (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) and caused turnovers by sophomore Brooke Holechek (Reisterstown, Md./Notre Dame Prep) and freshman Courtney Patterson (Whitehouse Station, N.J./Hunterdon Central Regional) helped setup a three-goal run for the Bullets. Christie scored the first two and junior Maggie McClain (Wexford, Pa./Sewickley Academy) posted the third for a 3-1 lead with 19:42 to play in the first half.
 
Blackman helped stem the tide and bring the Lions back with a pair of free-position goals less than a minute a part. Kathleen Jaeger put TCNJ back in front 4-3 with 8:41 left in the half.
 
Goalie Miranda Chrone blocked a free-position attempt by Willis just before halftime to preserve the lead.
 
Gettysburg tied the contest early in the second period on a fantastic goal by Landry. Willis tossed a pass from the right side in front of the cage to Landry, who flipped the shot behind her for the game-tying goal just over eight minutes into the final period.
 
The Lions came right back to take the lead on a score by Allie Gorman two minutes later.
 
The two squads combined for six turnovers over the next five-plus minutes until a stop by the Bullets led to a quick goal by Christie to tie the game 5-5 with 13:45 left.
 
Blackman once again found pay-dirt following a pass from Amanda Muller at 7:35. The Lions ran off more than four minutes on the clock before taking advantage of a Gettysburg yellow card and an open goal. With Keeler helping to double-team outside the crease, a foul was called and left Erin Harvey with an easy pass to Emily Kratz for the eventual game-winner with 3:11 remaining.
 
Gettysburg pressed the action after TCNJ failed to clear the ball up the field with just over two minutes left. Two shots were turned away by Chrone, but Christie eventually worked her way to another goal following a feed from junior Maggie Welsh (Rye, N.Y./Holy Child) with 1:25 to go.
 
The Bullets won the next draw and called timeout to draw up a game plan. The final play went awry, however,  as Elizabeth Morrison knocked away a pass and TCNJ came up with the loose ball with 33 seconds left. The Lions cleared the ball up the field and ran out the final seconds.
 
TCNJ led in shots (17-13), while Gettysburg won draws 8-7. The two teams both tallied 11 ground balls.
 
Patterson posted three ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers for Gettysburg, while Keeler logged six saves.
 
Chrone stopped five shots for TCNJ. Jaclyn Douglas and Ellie O'Neill each posted two caused turnovers and Allie Gorman picked up three ground balls.
 
Gettysburg returns to its Centennial Conference schedule with a road trip to Muhlenberg on Saturday. Game time is set for 7 p.m.