Battling Hail, Quinnipiac Women’s Lacrosse Beats UMass-Lowell
March 13, 2022
It was hailing in Hamden as the Quinnipiac women’s lacrosse team defeated the UMass-Lowell River Hawks, despite the storm, by a score of 15-11 in a non-conference matchup on Saturday.
Throughout the game, the players were trying to think of warm thoughts in order to keep their spirits high.
“We keep thinking it’s warm,” senior attacker Sydney Skalstad said. “We kept saying ‘we are in Florida right now.’”
Playing in inclement weather is often all about having a strong mentality going into the game.
“We say [we have] a ‘dance in the rain’ kind of mentality, so they attack the game similarly,” Quinnipiac head coach Tanya Kotowicz said.
The weather in Hamden created challenges for both teams and the Bobcats were able to show off their adaptability.
“We went out there and we’re a very adaptable team,” Skalstad said. “So we kind of took it head on and we went for it, and it showed.”
Quinnipiac was also able to use their experience in harsh weather to aid in their victory.
“This team is amazing with weather,” said Kotowicz. “We practice in this, they’re ready for it and they have fun in it.”
Although the Bobcats have this experience, it was still a challenge throughout the game.
“It definitely made it more difficult with the hail,” junior goalkeeper Kat Henselder said. “I was one of the lucky ones with a helmet on, so it didn’t hit me directly in the head, but it was more difficult to see, and it definitely affected shots.”
Quinnipiac and UMass-Lowell both struggled with staying on their feet and completing all of their passes, however the game still ended with a high score of 15-11.
The Bobcats scored the first goal of the game early in the first half and the River Hawks scored a couple minutes later, tying the game. Quinnipiac then went on to have a 3-1 lead in the first quarter.
Both teams scored two additional goals in the second quarter, making the score 5-3 to round out the half.
The offensive forces for both teams got comfortable in the hail with the River Hawks scoring eight goals and the Bobcats scoring 10 in the second half.
Six Quinnipiac players recorded goals in the game, with first-year Ella Grace Delmond leading the charge, scoring five of the fifteen goals and Henselder recording six saves, which secured the 15-11 win for the Bobcats.
