Fredonia State scored five unanswered goals in the second half at its March 29 game, then hung on to defeat the Oswego Lakers, 10-8, in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) women's lacrosse at Cazenovia College.
Down by two goals for most of the first half, the Blue Devils (6-2 overall, 1-0 SUNYAC) forged a 5-5 halftime tie and gained the upper hand on goals only seconds apart by junior midfielder Marissa Cussins (Corning, N.Y.) and freshman midfielder Kristie Kleine (Cazenovia, N.Y.). On March 31, Marissa was selected as the SUNYAC Women's Lacrosse Player of the Week.
Senior defender Mary Bruton (Palmyra, N.Y.) caused two Oswego turnovers and collected two ground balls during the scoring run, which included another goal by Cussins -- her fifth goal of the game -- and one each by freshman attack Sam Owen (Horseheads, N.Y.) and junior defender Katie Kleine (Cazenovia, N.Y.).
The Lakers (5-2 overall, 0-1 SUNYAC) cut into Fredonia State's 10-5 lead with three goals in the last nine minutes, including one in the final seconds.
Blue Devil freshman goalkeeper Jessica Zagari (Rochester, N.Y.) finished with four saves, all in the first half, and improved her record to 6-0. The win also extended the Blue Devil winning streak to six straight.
Cussins led the Blue Devils with three ground balls and also was credited with three caused turnovers. Katie Kleine had a team-high five caused turnovers.
The game was an unplanned return home for the two Fredonia State Kleine sisters and their older sister, Kassie, who led Oswego with three goals. Originally scheduled for the Oswego State campus, wet ground there resulted in the game moving to the turf field in their hometown. It was the first time all three have played in the same college game. The last time they were on the same field in any sport, Kassie was a senior, Katie a junior, and Kristie an eight-grader on their high school soccer team. Their mother, Lori, was their coach.
Fredonia State has a non-conference home game Tuesday at 6 p.m. vs. Elmira before their return to SUNYAC competition on Saturday, April 4 vs. New Paltz. Both games are scheduled for the turf field at University Stadium.
