Box Score March 8, 2016 Final Stats
DAVIS, Calif. - Senior midfielder Courtney Neff scored on an eight-meter opportunity in the third minute of overtime to lift UC Davis to a 10-9 over Vermont in a non-conference collegiate women's lacrosse game at Aggie Stadium Tuesday night.
The Aggies even their record to 2-2 in their home opener. The Catamounts slip to 1-4 overall.
Neff's game-winner completed her 10th career hat trick. Seniors
Sam Axenroth and
Ellie Delich added two goals apiece, while junior attacker
Melissa Kellan notched a career-high four assists. For UVM, junior Alison Bolt netted a game-high five goals while midfielder Brynne Yaranton added two goals and two assists. Bolt scored three straight down the stretch of regulation to pull the Catamounts from a 9-6 deficit with less than 11 minutes remaining.
Yarranton put Vermont up by a quick 2-0 lead with her back-to-back strikes in the third and sixth minutes. However, UC Davis soon equalized, with Kellan feeding freshman Shannon Cross in the seventh and Axenroth in the ninth. Senior Mary Doyle then gave the Aggies their first lead with her eight-meter goal with 12:25 remaining before halftime. Delich scored her first goal in the 24th minute but UVM managed a pair of goals to even the contest at 4-4 at the break.
Neff hit consecutive goals as part of an overall 4-0 run in the second to send UC Davis to a 9-6 edge during the first 19 minutes after the break. But UVM freshman Michaela O'Mara won the next two draws to help Bolt spark a 3-0 comeback run. Bolt's equalizer game with just 1:10 remaining in regulation.
Yarranton won the ensuing draw to give the Catamounts potentially a game-winning series. An errant pass quickly gave UC Davis possession in its far defensive corner, only to have that pass sail wide of its target. UVM now had possession with some 49 seconds left. Vermont's Vanessa VanderZalm sent what appeared to be the go-ahead goal into the back of the net with 11 ticks on the clock, but she was called for a charge against Aggie junior Tess Kevorkian in front of the crease. Kevorkian sprinted the length of the field in time to give Kellan a shot at the buzzer, but UVM goalie Maddy Kuras made a clutch save to send the game to extra time.
Sophomore Shannon Geary won the initial overtime draw, and UC Davis set up for a long possession. With 50 seconds left, an eight-meter foul put Neff on the center hash. She drove and planted a shot into the cage for the winner.
Neff also had two caused turnovers in the game, matching Kevorkian and senior Savannah Hadley for the team lead. VanderZalm led Vermont in the same category with four. Delich and Geary had three draw controls for UC Davis, matching the totals of Yarranton and O'Mara for Vermont. Both teams were also evenly matched in turnovers (17-17) and ground balls (14-14), with the Aggies holding the edge on draw controls (12-9) and total shots (18-15).
UC Davis returns to action on Sunday with a noon game against Saint Mary's, continuing its month-long homestand.
| Vermont (1-4) | 4 | 5 | 0 | - | 9 |
| UC Davis (2-2) | 4 | 5 | 1 | - | 10 |
GOALS - UVM: Alison Bolt 5, Brynne Yarranton 2, Meredith Moore 1, Elena McWright 1. UC DAVIS: Courtney Neff 3, Ellie Delich 2, Sam Axenroth 2, Taylor Cuenin 1, Mary Doyle 1, Shannon Cross 1.
ASSISTS - UVM: Alex Bernier 2, Brynne Yarranton 2, Meredith Moore 1. UC DAVIS: Melissa Kellan 4, Ellie Delich 1.
GOALIE SAVES - UVM: Maddy Kuras 5 (62:12). UC DAVIS: Lauren Ali 3 (62:12).
