By Tyler Wahl
The FSU Rams faced off against the MIT Beavers on home field Wednesday night, April 6.
This was the lacrosse team’s first game back on home field under the lights, and they gave their audience a worthy show in the first quarter.
Rams’ junior attacker Madison Skiff struck first just two minutes into the first quarter with a blazing hot shot to the back of the MIT net.
Skiff was a nuisance for the Beavers. She put eight shots on goal throughout the match, converting two of them into points for FSU.
The team’s momentum looked promising until a 4-0 run was rattled o1 by MIT to make the score 4-1 with seven minutes left in the quarter.
However, FSU was able to chip away at the lead when sophomore attacker Hannah Guerin rifled one in to close the gap to two.
The Beavers persisted, converting two more goals before the quarter was over. Freshman attacker Leah Green was able to sneak one in with 30 seconds left to make the score 6-3 at the end of the first.
The second quarter featured less action than the first, but it ultimately helped the Rams build toward a comeback. Guerin was able to put two more on the board in the second, and the Rams defense held strong for the majority of the quarter.
FSU’s strong defense was dismantled with just six minutes left in the quarter when MIT broke the seal on the net once again.
MIT put two more in the back of the Rams net in the final minute to close the first half with an imposing 9-5 lead.
The Rams hoped to bounce back, but they were halted by two goals from MIT to open the third quarter.
Both sides fought hard the rest of the quarter to secure the lead going into the fourth, but FSU
prevailed first with Skiff’s second goal of the night.
Guerin quickly followed up on the momentum, putting in her fourth goal of the match o1 an assist from sophomore midfielder Regan Fein.
MIT slid one more by the Rams defense with a minute left in the third quarter, bringing the score to 12-7 going into the fourth.
With a five-goal lead to overcome, the Rams would have to play perfect defense and near-perfect offense in order to come back.
While FSU’s offense continued to provide goals, the defense unfortunately gave up too many points for the Rams to have a chance at a miracle rebound in this game.
Green and Fein both put up two more goals before the buzzer sounded, totaling seven points between the two of them on the night.
Senior attacker Tara Palermo also chipped in with a goal of her own in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to bring the game back into contention.
Although MIT secured the victory 17-10, the Rams still look to learn and capitalize on their mistakes in upcoming conference matchups.
Junior attacker Madison Skiff had two goals on the night and discussed the importance of their upcoming matches after the game.
She said, “For us to continue to succeed in conference play, we need to come out with high energy and excitement and keep that through the whole game. Moving the ball fast up the ;eld will help us win these games and keep the intensity up.”
Sophomore midfielder Regan Fein also contributed what she thinks should be a focus in the upcoming games, adding, “On the defensive end, it has been all about communication and pressure, not giving an inch no matter where we are on the ;eld, shutting them down at every angle.”
The Rams lacrosse team currently sits at a 4-6 record, and they look to improve that moving forward into the latter half of the season.
Skiff added, “In order to improve our record, we have to do what we can do best – passing, catching, shooting, and playing the amazing defense we know how to play as a team.”
While the team couldn’t pull out a win vs. MIT, Skiff still focused on some of the positives and how to apply them in the future.
She said, “We executed our energy well. In some games we have had, it’s hard to keep our head up and push through the hard things – but we kept the energy high and didn’t give up until the last whistle was blown.”
The Rams look to fight back to a positive record starting with MCLA Saturday afternoon, April 9.