The Brockport Golden Eagles women’s lacrosse team couldn’t have started SUNYAC play much better. The Fredonia Blue Devils came to town and Brockport took care of business, beating them 17-5.
Graduate attacker Cassidy Burnash scored four goals and added five assists for a stunning nine-point effort.
“Generating power in our offense was one of goals and I’m really proud of everything they were able to accomplish today,” Brockport head coach Bryana Glasser said.
The first quarter was the closest point of the game. Burnash opened the scoring with two unassisted goals to give the Golden Eagles a 2-0 lead at the halfway point of the opening quarter. Moments after the second goal from Burnash, junior attacker Emma Cockerel threw a low bouncer at the net and it snuck through. A minute later sophomore attacker Amanda Evans scored her first of the campaign, finishing a quality chance off a strong feed from junior midfielder Alayna Foos. Fredonia added two goals of their own to keep the score close, but Brockport led 4-2 at the end of the first quarter.
“We were doing a lot better moving the ball offensively,” Foos said. “It’s about taking your risks but not making it too risky.”
The second quarter was dominated by the Golden Eagles. Junior attacker Sarah Kilburn scored her first of the game at the start of the quarter. Kilburn cut inside and received a perfect pass from Foos and ripped it into the top left corner to start an eventual 10-0 run for Brockport. Senior midfielder Julia Quinlan scored her second of the game in the middle of the quarter. Burnash, Foos and Tristan Davis all added two more goals. Brockport’s offense was attacking in transition and getting quick goals but could also slow things down and methodically break down Fredonia.
“It’s really important, especially when you’re starting out a game, to be able to manage it,” Glasser said. “We need to make sure we are getting the looks we want, I call them layups, we need to let the ball do the work and settle in. “I always say play fast, don’t rush.”
Late in the first half, Foos almost had the play of the game. Driving hard towards the goal, Foos caught a high pass that led to an acrobatic attempt. She elevated and with one hand threw a bounce shot at the goal. The ball one-hopped bar-down and into the net. Unfortunately for Brockport, Foos’ shot would be waved off by the officials for a crease violation.
The second half was much calmer compared to the fireworks of the first half. Davis capped off the ten-goal run for Brockport. Causing a turnover in transition, Davis drove to the net and buried an easy look to make it 13-2. Fredonia showed signs of life in the third as they scored two consecutive goals. The Blue Devils offense struggled against the suffocatingly physical Golden Eagles’ defense. Two minutes after Fredonia senior midfielder Sydney Buchko made it 13-4, Evans and Kilburn each scored one for Brockport.
“It’s a really good way to challenge ourselves,” Glasser said. “We need to make sure we’re using our athleticism to our advantage, when you get to conference play you need to be able to pull out all the stops.”
The fourth quarter opened 15-4 in favor of Brockport. Quinlan scored early in the quarter after cutting inside and a clean pass from Burnash led to an easy Brockport goal. With four and a half minutes remaining, first year attacker Haley Lewkovich took advantage of open space inside and another good feed from Burnash led to Brockport’s final goal of the game. Fredonia sophomore midfielder Meghan Karalus scored late in the quarter for the Blue Devils, but the game would still end as a commanding victory for the Golden Eagles.
Brockport opened SUNYAC play strong, extending their win streak to three games. The Golden Eagles now sit at 4-3 on the season after their conference opener. From here they will turn their attention to New Paltz in another SUNYAC matchup on Friday, March 29.
