Fitzgerald’s Two-Way Play Recognized with CACC Women’s Lacrosse Weekly Honor Roll Appearance
New Haven, Conn. - (2/25/2020) – Chestnut Hill College opened 2020 with a back-and-forth contest against Shepherd University on Saturday, February 22. Unfortunately, the Griffins could not leave Victory Field #1 with a win as the Rams scored six straight second-half goals to recover from a 6-3 (20:37) Scarlet and Gold advantage for a 9-6 (7:43) lead and later an 11-9 (0:10) victory. Senior attack Spencer Fitzgerald (Huntingtown, Md.) headlined the Chestnut Hill College effort with four goals, two ground balls, and four caused turnovers, and therefore garnered a spot on the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Women’s Lacrosse Weekly Honor Roll.
Fitzgerald and fellow senior attack Dai Pearson (Pottstown, Pa.) were lethal from the free-position shot, combining for five goals in the setup. The turning point, however, was a 6-0 Shepherd University (1-0) run midway through the second half that tied the contest at 6-6 with 15:31 and gave the visiting Rams a 9-6 lead with 7:43 remaining in the affair.
The first half was a tug-of-war between the two teams, heading into the break tied 3-3. The Scarlet and Gold looked to have gained control over the contest early in the second half with consecutive tallies from freshman attack Emily Abe (Hagerstown, Md.) (4-3, 25:59), Fitzgerald (5-3, 25:05), and senior attack Haley Norwillo (Duryea, Pa.) (6-3, 20:37), but Shepherd University had an answer, scoring six straight goals and eight of the last 11 tallies in an 11-9 final.
Fitzgerald made a huge impact on offense and defense, leading all players in goals (four) and caused turnovers (four). She was three-of-four on free-position shots, helping the Griffins finish with a 46 percent conversion rate. She also managed to put all five of her shots on frame and picked up two ground balls in the effort.