Sparkill, N.Y. - A late third quarter goal by Jada Garcia, combined with a stellar save by Lilah Magenheimer on a free-position attempt in the closing seconds of Thursday's contest against Felician University, sent the maroon and gold to a thrilling 13-12 victory at Spartan Field.
STAC moves to 1-7 on the year, while Felician slips to 1-9.
Additionally, Spartans Head Coach Miranda Lopes picked up her first collegiate coaching win.
Jada Garcia (1 assist) and Victoria Calabro tallied five goals apiece for the Spartans, while Jade Gorman scored a pair of goals and Meghan Tarantino (1 assist) found the back of the net with one of her shots. Goalie Lilah Magenheimer (L, 1-5) got the start in net for the maroon and gold and stopped 9 of 21 shots faced to earn her first victory of the campaign.
Meanwhile, Felician was led by Kayla Fox, who tallied four goals, while Alyssa Tropeano added two goals and two assists, Mary Gazaleh scored twice and added a helper and Madison Cancela picked up a pair of goals. Teammates Mackenzie Fox and Gabby Sammarco added to the totals on the scoreboard with a goal each. Goalie Natalia Ogando (L, 0-1), made 6 saves on 19 shots fired in her direction on the day.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The game opened with quick action, as St. Thomas Aquinas struck first just 30 seconds in on an unassisted goal by Victoria Calabro. Felician answered immediately with Alyssa Tropeano, but the Spartans regained momentum with back-to-back scores from Calabro and Jada Garcia to take a 3–1 lead.
Felician responded with a strong mid-quarter run. Goals from Madison Cancela, Mary Gazaleh, Kayla Fox, and Tropeano—two coming on man-up opportunities—gave Felician a 5–3 advantage. However, St. Thomas Aquinas flipped the momentum again late in the quarter, scoring four straight goals, including multiple finishes from Garcia and Calabro, to take a 7–5 lead into the second.
In the second quarter, Felician continued to battle. Kayla Fox opened the scoring, and after trading goals, Felician pulled even at 8–8 following strikes from Gabby Sammarco and Mackenzie Fox. Once again, STAC responded late in the period, with Calabro converting a free-position shot and Garcia adding another goal to give her team a 10–8 halftime edge.
The third quarter remained tightly contested. Felician twice fought back to tie the game, first at 10–10 on a free-position goal by Gazaleh and a man-up finish from Kayla Fox, and again at 12–12 after another extra-player goal from Fox with under three minutes to play.
With the game hanging in the balance, St. Thomas Aquinas delivered the decisive moment. Jada Garcia scored her fifth goal of the game with 1:48 remaining in the third stanza, putting STAC ahead 13–12.
Fast forward to the closing moments of the contest. Felician's Kayla Fox was awarded a free-position shot attempt, with the opportunity to potentially tie up the game and send it to overtime. However, it would be the quick reflexes of goalkeeper Lilah Magenheimer that would win out, making a huge stop the would take time off of the clock and preserve the one-goal triumph.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- Felician outshot STAC 31-28 (21-19 on goal) for the game.
- Jade Gorman tallied a game-high eight shots for the Spartans, with five going on net.
- Brianna Cote caused three Golden Falcons turnovers in the match.
- Clemence Papleux scooped up eight of the Spartans 36 ground balls.
- STAC won 15 of 27 draw controls, with Clemence Papleux winning nine.
UP NEXT:
STAC hosts the University of the District of Columbia in the team's regular season home finale on Saturday, April 11 at Spartan Field. Opening faceoff between the Spartans and Firebirds is scheduled for noon, with Senior Day festivities preceding the ECC matchup.