After being eliminated from the playoffs last week, the Buffalo State lacrosse team knew
Saturday’s game at Potsdam would be its last of the season.
Despite having little to play for, the Bengals won a thriller, 12-11, after Meghan Farrell
scored the game-winner with 36 seconds left in overtime.
“It feels good, I guess,” said Farrell, a sophomore midfielder who had four goals in the
game. “This is the first time in a while we haven’t made the playoffs, so it’s not the
greatest feeling. But we ended strong.”
Senior attack Ashley Caporizzo scored just over a minute into the game to give the
Bengals a 1-0 lead, but Potsdam answered with three straight goals to make it 3-1.
Caporizzo then scored again to stop the run. Neither team would be separated by more
than two goals for the rest of the game.
Potsdam (4-10, 1-7 SUNYAC) and Buffalo State each added a goal before halftime.
Caporizzo scored twice to open the second half, giving the Bengals a 5-4 lead. The two
teams traded goals for the rest of regulation.
Potsdam’s Denise Johns scored the final goal of regulation with 1:42 left to tie it at nine
and send the game into overtime. That’s when Farrell took over, scoring twice, including
the game-winner.
“There was about a minute left and we had the ball,” Farrell said. “These girls cleared a
lane for me and I kind of just shot right over the goalie’s head. (My teammates) set me
up, but it was kind of just fast thinking, it wasn’t like we planned it for me. Once I had
the ball, we kind of knew that I was going to goal.”
Coach Meg Stevens said the goal came off of a new set the Bengals added for the
overtime period to give Buffalo State’s offense a different look.
“It was just good team offense,” Stevens said. “It was well executed by the offensive unit,
and a great finish by Farrell, just a nice shot.”
Though the game was back and forth, the Bengals outplayed Potsdam in the game’s
decisive minutes.
“We just stayed composed,” said junior attack Becca Martinez, who scored one of her
two goals in the game in the extra period. “We had the momentum toward the end.
We weren’t letting them win, so we carried the momentum throughout the last couple
minutes of the game.”
Sophomore goalie Colleen George made 10 saves, including one with three seconds left
in overtime that preserved the win for Buffalo State.
“Colleen George really stepped up in goal,” Stevens said. “She had some big saves right
at the end of the game, just really good stuff. Honestly, I think it was Colleen that made
the big difference for us. That was probably the best game she’s played all year.”
The Bengals (8-8, 3-5 SUNYAC) made the playoffs in each of the last five years, but
finished 7th in the league, one game out of the final playoff spot. While Saturday’s game
had no playoff implications, Stevens said the result was still important to her team.
“We talked about it,” Stevens said. “It is a game that made a difference whether you win
or lose, how you finish out the season. And it’s a bit of a character moment. It’s tough
when you’re not going into playoffs to come out with a win, so I will give them credit for
that.
“It wasn’t as convincing as I would’ve liked it to be. Truthfully, they should have put that
team away pretty handily. (But) I do like that they came out with a win. I think that’s a
good way to finish out, even after a poor season. But we’re going to rebuild.”
Leif Reigstad can be reached at reigstad.record@live.com or on Twitter @LeifReigstad