Savior!
Pearsall's late goal bails out lady laxers

By MICHAEL PALM
Collegian Sports Writer

The score stood deadlocked at 6-6 with less than five minutes remaining in the women's lacrosse game yesterday. Lehigh had fought back from a 6-3 deficit to even the score.

Lady Lion co-captain Jill Pearsall had a chance to win the game. Awarded a penalty shot, she ran towards the goal and fired.

In a fit of frustration, Lehigh goaltender Mary-Alice Zavocki slammed her stick to the ground, telling what happened. That goal by Pearsall ended the Engineer's rally as Penn State (3-3) defeated Lehigh (4-2), 7-6 at a cold and windy Lady Lion Field.

Penn State, which beat Lehigh 18-3 last year, did not expect to have to come back.

"I know that I was expecting a stronger Lehigh team but I wasn't expecting a weaker Penn State team," Lady Lion Coach Julie Williams said.

Penn State started out anything but weak when Connelly scored less than a minute into the game off a dish from Michele DeJuliis. Senior attacker Christy Way scored Penn State's second goal off sophomore midfielder Tamara Crowe's pass.

Amy Carnaggio, a sophomore attacker, opened Penn State's lead to 3-0 on an unassisted goal. It appeared the onslaught was beginning.

"We started out the game rather timidly," Lehigh Coach Jackie Keeley said.

Lehigh's Cristina Brill, a junior midfielder, scored two goals, with a goal by Penn State's Pearsall sandwiched between them. Senior midfielder Elizabeth Brode scored the next goal for Lehigh to close the gap to 4-3.

Two goals by Connelly extended the lead to 6-3, when the half ended.

DeJuliis left the game limping, bothered by a chronic knee injury. Williams said DeJuliis plays until she reaches her pain threshold. The injury should not keep her out of tomorrow's game.

Both team's goaltenders played a key role in the low-scoring game. Penn State's goaltender Heidi Shafer and Lehigh's Zavocki made several saves to keep the game close.

"Our goalie really stepped it up," Keeley said. "She played a great game."

Penn State was held scoreless in the second half until Pearsall's goal won the game for the Lady Lions. Williams said the team may have been trying too hard to make something out of nothing.

"I think we were rushing things, we were trying to do too much all at once," she said. "We weren't creating opportunities, we were just forcing opportunities and they weren't there."

-- Note: The Lady Lions, in their third home game of the season, face Delaware at 1 p.m. tomorrow at Lady Lion Field.

"They're a growing program. They've kind of revitalized their program and they're doing real well," Williams said. "They're going to be a tough team."