Written by Katherine Clatterbuck
On Saturday, April 30th, the Roanoke women’s lacrosse team faced off in an ODAC semifinals game against the Shenandoah Hornets, which ended in a Roanoke victory of 23-16. After an impressive 8-3 record in the regular season, the team gained the second seed position for the ODAC conference and a 25th national ranking for Division III women’s lacrosse. Jenna Kuczo and Emerson Foster were both named ODAC Players of the Week during the season, as these two women lead the team as starting attacker and midfielder respectively. Both Emerson Foster and Lilly Blair, another midfielder for Roanoke, ended the season atop the ODAC statistics ranks for offensive leaders. Foster was fifth in number of goals, while Blair was third in number of goals and fifth in number of points. Goalkeeper Carly Schoudel gained a ranking of third for her average of 12.34 goals-against. These women are no stranger to conference honors. Following their successful season, the Maroons had three first-team All-ODAC players in Lilly Blair, Emerson Foster, and Claire Eisenhart, two second-team All-ODAC players in Ellie Armstrong and Natalie Mason, and one third-team All-ODAC player in Jenna Kuczo.
In their semifinal faceoff against the Hornets, Roanoke entered the half trailing by 1, leaving fans worried for the team’s potential advancement to the ODAC championships. After the half, Roanoke came out fierce, scoring a quick goal within the first minute of the second period to tie the game. Goals from Lily Blair, Emerson Foster, and Ellie Armstrong pulled Roanoke to its impressive 7-point lead to end the game. The win advanced Roanoke to the ODAC women’s lacrosse championships in which Roanoke faced the Washington & Lee Generals, ranked #3 in the country, in Lexington, Virginia. The team kept hope alive for Roanoke during the first period, ending in a score of 6-5. Unfortunately, the Generals gained the upper hand during the second period, leading to their victory over Roanoke. Standout Roanoke players included Tiernan Connor, a freshman attacker, who scored a personal best of three goals, tying with lead scorer Blair in this final game. Schoudel had an impressive six saves, ending her women’s lacrosse career at Roanoke with a stellar record. While they may not have brought the championship home, the competitiveness and drive of the women’s lacrosse team is celebrated by all Maroons as their season comes to an end. Seniors Carly Schoudel, Ellie Armstrong, Maggie Lewis, Frankie Sefcik, and Jenna Kuczo have played key roles for women’s lacrosse and we wish them the best as they graduate later this month
