Vikings Comeback to Defeat Falcons, 17-16

FITCHBURG, Mass. – Salem State women's lacrosse traveled to Fitchburg State for their second to last regular season game of the 2023 season. After finding themselves down by as many as five goals, the Vikings would hold the Falcons scoreless in the final period to comeback and take the 17-16 victory on the road.  

Mackenzie Schmink (Danvers, Mass.), Kaia Hollingsworth (Methuen, Mass.), and Jenna Wells (Revere, Mass.) all recorded four goals on the night while Taylor Sujko (Revere, Mass.) and Aislinn Bennett (Milford, Mass.) chipped in two goals apiece with Sujko also contributing three assists in the victory.

Eva Kozikowski (Portsmouth, N.H.) had a game high six goals while teammates, Cali Laakso (Fitchburg, Mass.) and Jessica St. George (Dracut, Mass.) each recorded a hat trick in tonight's effort for the Falcons.

How it Happened:

• The Falcons scored three goals in less than one minute to take the early 3-0 advantage with just over 13 minutes to play in the opening period.
• Fitchburg would add two more goals before Schmink notched two goals of her own and dished out a helper to Bennet to cut the Falcons lead in half (6-3).  The Falcons would use the next two minutes to re-establish a five-goal cushion before Laura Young (Leominster, Mass.) snuck one past the Fitchburg keeper to go into the second period behind 8-4.
• Schmink netted her third goal of the game, to secure a hat trick and bring the Vikings within three with 11:15 to play in the half. Fitchburg scored two unanswered goals before the Vikings added two of their own in the closing five minutes to bring the deficit to three (10-7) as the game entered halftime.
•  A shootout ensued throughout the third period with the Vikings landing four goals, behind two Sujko goals, while the Falcons added six more from the help of St. George who supplied two goals and an assist over this period to keep her team in the driver's seat (16-11) to enter the final fifteen minutes of action.
• Hollingsworth willed her squad to a rally when she scored three of Salem's four unanswered goals to come within one goal of the home team with just over seven minutes to play in the game.
• Less than a minute later Schmink tied the game at 16 before Wells gave Salem their first lead of the game (17-16) after landing one in the back of the net with 2:51 to play in the game. Wells' final goal would prove to be enough as the Vikings would pull off the 17-16 comeback victory over the Falcons.