CONWAY, S.C. – The Coastal Carolina women's lacrosse team returned to an even .500 this afternoon with a 12-11 win in overtime at home over the Binghamton Bearcats at Brooks Stadium.
Binghamton jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after a goal by junior midfielder and leading goalscorer Abigail Carroll less than a minute into the opening frame. The Chants later equalized with a goal from forward Abi George, coming off an assist from junior Devin Rybacki. Each side would put three more goals on the board before the end of the first quarter, going into the second 15 tied at four.
Coastal opened the second quarter on a 2-0 run with junior Brigid Cardillo assisting on a pair of goals to Avery McIlwaine and Maddie Bates. The Bearcats brought one back after a goal from Carla Curth at the 12:43 mark, moving the score to 6-5. The Chants closed the first half with their second 2-0 run of the quarter to take an 8-5 lead into the halftime break. Sydney McClure and McIlwaine added their second goal contributions, both coming unassisted opportunities.
Binghamton outscored Coastal 4-1 in the third period, opening the half with another goal contribution from Carroll, this time an assist to junior attacker Olivia Muscolino. CCU's Monica Manley opened her scoring account with a goal just under the four-minute mark of the third quarter, with McClure recording her second assist of the day. The Bearcats would score three more before the third quarter's final whistle, knotting the score at nine apiece entering the final 15 minutes regulation.
Binghamton took an 11-9 lead at the 10:14 mark of the fourth quarter after goals from Muscolino and Hayley Weltner. CCU would respond with two goals on their own to force overtime for the first time this season. McClure brought the Chants back to within one, her third goal of the afternoon, and Bates, coming off the assist from McIlwaine, would send the game to an additional sudden death period with a goal with 6:57 to play in regulation.
In the first half of overtime, Coastal was awarded a free position opportunity with just over a minute remaining. Directly off the penalty, McClure scored the decisive goal and her fourth of the day, lifting the Chants to a crucial 12-11 victory.
Despite being outshot by the Bearcats 40-30, as well as having fewer opportunities on goal, Coastal made the most of their quality chances, putting 12 goals past Binghamton goalkeeper Sofia Salgado on 18 attempts on goal. The Chants finished with a perfect 24-24 clear percentage, controlling stretches of play in an otherwise end-to-end game.
McClure once again led the Chants on the scoresheet with four goals, moving her season goal tally to a team-high 15. McIlwaine, George and Bates each tallied two on the day, with Cardillo and Manley scoring one apiece.
In defense, goalkeeper Charlotte Sadler finished the day with 14 saves and a pair of ground balls. Cardillo led from the front with four ground balls. As a team, CCU forced five turnovers, picked up 13 ground balls and won 11 draw controls.
After a thrilling overtime victory over Binghamton, next up for the Chants is a trip to Macon, Ga., for a meeting with the Mercer Bears on Saturday, Mar. 9 at Five Star Stadium.
For complete coverage of CCU women's lacrosse, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalWLAX (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at goccusports.com
