University of Albany's Women's Lacrosse Registers 11-8 Win Against Binghamton in America East Conference Play

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Albany, N.Y. – Sophomore midfielder Kayla Best scored three of her four goals in the second half to lead UAlbany to an 11-8 America East Conference win over Binghamton on Wednesday, April 9 at John Fallon Field.

UAlbany (8-5, AE 2-2) led 8-6 midway through the final period, but tallied three of the game’s next four goals. Best began that stretch when she connected on a free-position attempt following a successful clear. She gave her team a four-goal cushion by placing a shot inside the left post to complete a transition play. Binghamton’s Ali Castiglie scored her second of the game by moving around a defender from left of the cage. But the Great Danes answered eight seconds when Jodi Battaglia won the draw and passed ahead to Molly Ortolano, who was left one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

The Great Danes, who were coming off a last-second loss at Vermont four days ago, broke a 2-2 tie in the first half with four unanswered goals. Christine Grueniger, who did all of her scoring in the outburst with two goals and one assist, rifled a free-position shot inside the right post to put her team ahead. She then found Best in the middle of the zone for a 4-2 advantage. UAlbany struck twice in the final 39 seconds of the period. Grueniger slid to the right and fired into the left side of the net to make good on a free-position opportunity. Freshman Taylor Frink then drove from behind the game, faked a shot, and scored from the front of the crease with 11.6 seconds to play.

Binghamton (4-9, AE 0-4) closed within a pair of goals on two occasions in the second half. Kate Concialdi converted from right of the crease off a feed from behind by teammate Kate Tesi with 19:17 remaining. Castiglie then scored her 14th of the season to cut the deficit to 8-6 one minute and 40 seconds later by picking her way to the goal from the left side.

“We have a lot of injuries right now, so we had to move people around,” said UAlbany coach Lindsay Hart, whose team hosts No. 14 Vanderbilt on Sunday. “We were a completely different team with three players moving up to attack. We had control of the game, but didn’t have a great night shooting the ball and finishing plays. Taylor Frink and Mel Rorie made the most of their increased playing time.”

UAlbany’s Rory Redmond and Battaglia each had one goal and one assist, while goalkeeper Katie Neer made 12 saves. Best, who extended her scoring streak to 26 consecutive games, totaled four or more points for the fifth straight time. Binghamton’s Sandra Alvarez stopped 11 shots in the cage.

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UAlbany 11, Binghamton 8

Binghamton – Scoring: Ali Castiglie 2-0, Kate Tesi 1-1, Leanne Musso 1-0, Kate Concialdi 1-0, Lizzie Wright 1-0, Jen Fischer 1-0, Julia Demuth 1-0; Goalkeeper(s): Sandra Alvarez (60:00, 11 saves, 11 GA).

UAlbany – Scoring: Kayla Best 4-0, Christine Grueniger 2-1, Rory Redmond 1-1, Jodi Battaglia 1-1, Stacey Brown 1-0, Taylor Frink 1-0, Molly Ortolano 1-0, Jane Bush 0-1; Goalkeeper(s): Katie Neer (60:00, 12 saves, 8 GA).