‘Cats Win A-10 Opener in Dramatic Finish, 9-8

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DAVIDSON, N.C. — Senior Emma Sissman scored the tying goal and then the game winner with 11.7 seconds on the clock to help Davidson earn a 9-8 comeback victory at home vs. La Salle in both team's Atlantic 10 opener Friday night in women's lacrosse inside Richardson Stadium.

Davidson halted its two-game skid to move to 4-4 on the year and improved to 4-7 all-time in league openers.

Sissman led the offense with a game-high four goals and added an assist to give her team bests of 20 goals and 22 points. Jean Atkinson dished out a season-best two assists, while Lucy Sexton and Sophia Sgroi had an assist each. Five other 'Cats netted a goal apiece in the win.

After seeing its two-goal lead erased by the Explorers, who went on a 3-0 run to take an 8-7 lead, the Wildcats mounted their comeback thanks to the stick of Sissman, but she needed to redeem herself first. A caused turnover on her gave the ball back to La Salle briefly with 1:18 left, but a turnover and yellow card on the Explorers was called with 1:08 remaining to give the possession back to the 'Cats.

This time Davidson capitalized, striking for the tying goal when Sissman got a pass from Atkinson with 59 ticks left to make it an 8-all game.

Sissman than earned the next draw control and the 'Cats used their final timeout with 51 seconds. Out of the break, Davidson worked the ball around the Explorers' zone when it drew a foul for a free-position attempt with under 20 seconds left. Sissman was awarded the attempt and she made it count, firing a bullet past La Salle's keeper with just 11.7 seconds on the clock for game-winning goal.

The final draw went to La Salle (2-6, 0-1 A-10) after a scramble for it, but the final horn blew for the Wildcats' victory.

Nicole Black and Katelyn Fay scored two goals each for La Salle. Katie Fonte had two points on a goal and an assist. Fay and Fonte had scored the tying and go-ahead goals for the Explorers during their 3-0 run.

Davidson started out the game looking like it would run away with it, scoring the first five goals with nearly 17 minutes run off. Sissman had a goal and assist during the 5-0 spurt, while Sarah Kopp, Paige Farrar and Morgan Burch added single goals.

On defense, Dana Stasieluk was very impressive during run, halting all six of La Salle's shot attempts on goal. She would finish with eight first-half saves and earned a career-high 11 for the game, while adding a personal-best five groundballs.

La Salle finally broke through though and would score three consecutive goals to close the first half, including one by Fay with five seconds remaining to cut the 'Cats' lead to 5-3 at the break.

Two more Explorer goals to open the new half tied it up before Sissman and Atkinson hooked up for the first time in the game to break the time with 17:29 on the clock. Brockett scored three minutes later off Sgroi's first career assist to make it 7-5.

La Salle had advantages of 28-18 in shots and 15-9 in groundballs, while Davidson pulled in 10 of the 19 draw controls. It also converted on two of its four free-position attempts and was 12-of-15 on clear attempts.

Senior defender Holly Thomas forced two turnovers, giving her a team-high eight on the season and 42 for her career.

The 'Cats finish out the weekend with its second A-10 game, facing Saint Joseph's Sunday, April 3, at 1 p.m.

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