*Course: Sportswriting (JOUR381W; Spring 2021)*
Bradshaw, Connolly combine for 11 goals in victory.
PITTSBURGH – First game in 370 days? No problem.
Playing a Kent State University team that already had five games under its belt entering the day? No challenge at all.
Readjusting to live competition after having not played a game in over a calendar year? No rust.
Having an attendance limited to just close family and friends due to COVID-19 protocols? Create your own energy.
The women on Duquesne University’s lacrosse team faced a variety of challenges heading into the 2021 season, but they didn’t seem to miss a beat in their season opener.
Rilee Bradshaw and Michaela Connolly combined for 11 goals to lead Duquesne (1-0) in a 22-6 nonconference victory over Kent State (1-5) at Rooney Athletic Field on Tuesday afternoon.
Bradshaw, who scored 13 goals in a six-game 2020 campaign shortened by COVID, scored a game-high six goals and added an assist. Two of Bradshaw’s tallies came within the contest’s first 5 minutes, including one in which she found the back of the net seconds after intercepting an attempted pass by Golden Flashes goalkeeper Taylor Monturo.
After Bradshaw’s second goal, Duquesne took a 2-1 lead and would never surrender the advantage again after that, leading by as many as 17 on two separate occasions.
Near the end of the first half, Bradshaw was struck in the face by an opponent’s stick, but she immediately bounced back. Just 20 seconds after the incident, Connolly found a streaking Bradshaw, who fell to the ground as she snuck a shot between the legs of Monturo for her third goal. She would add a fourth just 39 seconds later, in addition to two second-half tallies.
Connolly, who had 15 goals of her own in the truncated 2020 season, scored twice in the first half. The latter goal pushed the Dukes’ lead to 10 with 3:54 left in the half, forcing officials to allow the game clock to run without stoppage for the remainder of the half.
In the second half, Connolly scored three more times, including a fifth and final strike that saw her start behind the net before wrapping around and tucking a shot into the net’s top right corner.
Despite the strong performance from the duo of Bradshaw and Connolly, the Dukes still saw a balanced offensive attack. Maddie Hart, who scored a team-high 17 times in 2020, provided three goals and a game-high four assists.
Jillian Caroselli scored three times, while Carlee Braverman also found the back of the net twice for Duquesne. Emelie Curtis and Miranda Held each added a goal in their first game at the collegiate level as well.
After an early goal by Kent State’s Madison Rapier to tie the score at 1, the Golden Flashes could not muster any sort of semblance. Two goals in a span of 54 seconds would cut the Duquesne advantage down to 7-3 with 12:09 left in the first half, but Kent State went on to surrender 15 of the game’s final 18 goals. Rapier and Jackie Wolford each scored twice, and each added an assist.
After allowing 14 first-half goals, Monturo was replaced by Madison Flannigan at the beginning of the second half. A tough afternoon for Monturo was never more evident than it was when she saved a shot by Hart with her team trailing 6-1, only to fumble the save and allow it to trickle into the back of the net.
Flannigan allowed six goals in her 18:32 of action before passing duties off to Ella Gravitt, who surrendered two goals in the game’s final 11:28.
Following today’s nonconference meeting, the only one of the season for Duquesne, the Dukes will not play again until traveling to Olean, N.Y. for an Atlantic 10 Conference matchup with St. Bonaventure University on March 26.
The Golden Flashes will return home to Kent, Ohio, where they will square off with Presbyterian College in a nonconference contest at Dix Stadium on March 22.
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