MONTCLAIR, N.J. – Campbell Johnston (Duxbury, Mass.) matched her career-high with seven goals to lead the Connecticut College women's lacrosse team to a 15-12 win over Montclair State on Wednesday afternoon from Sprague Field.
The opening minutes were a defensive battle, before Montclair State opened the scoring at 7:53 off a tally from Kaeley Sek. Conn answered just over a minute later, as Sophia Virgilio (Brightwaters, N.Y.) finished off a feed from Kate Coughlin (Reading, Mass.), but the Red Hawks retook the lead on a free-position goal at 5:35.
From there, the Camels offense came to life, as Conn ended the quarter on a 4-0 run. Coughlin connected with Suzie Smith (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) to the game, before Coughlin snuck a shot through Joey Grtokopf to put the Camels in front. Johnston ended the quarter with back-to-back tallies, including a free-position marker in the final seconds to take a 5-2 lead after one.
Conn continued their strong play to start the second quarter, as the Camels scored twice in 51 seconds to extend the lead to 7-2. Coughlin added another assist, this time feeding Victoria Evans (Sudbury, Mass.) who fired home, before Johnston found the back of the net for her hat-trick. Montclair did not go away quietly, responding with a 4-0 run over the final nine and a half minutes to cut the Conn lead to 7-6 at the break.
The Camels outscored the Red Hawks 4-2 in the third quarter, as Johnston tallied another three goals in the frame. The teams traded two goals each in the first seven minutes, with Johnston and Virgilio each scoring, before Johnston added two more goals to send Conn to the fourth quarter in front 11-8.
The Camels pushed the lead back to five, four minutes into the final frame, as Elizabeth Gill (Hingham, Mass.) finished off a pass from Virgilio, before Johnston found Smith who converted with the woman-up to make it 13-8. Again, Montclair battled back, scoring twice in 44 seconds to cut the deficit to 13-10.
Conn added two insurance markers, as Evans scored off an assist from Virgilio, before Johnston matched her career-high with her seventh goal of the contest, coming from a feed from Gill. The Red Hawks added two goals in the final two minutes to cut the deficit, but the Camels closed the door for the 15-12 win.
Conn outshot Montclair 33-22, while holding a 17-12 edge on draw controls.
Ava Virga (Watertown, N.Y.) picked up the win in the cage, finishing with seven saves. Johnston led the way with eight points on seven goals and one assist, as both Coughlin and Virgilio added four points, while Evans, Gill, and Smith chipped in two points.
Defensively, Conn scooped up 14 ground balls, led by a game-high three from Gill. The Camels won 17 draws, with Smith collecting a game-high five, while both Hadley Levendusky (Manchester, Mass.) and Emma McDonell (Stevenson, Md.) forced two turnovers each.
Grotkopf got the start in net, recording seven saves. Kyra Morena and Lexi Robinson paced Montclair with four points each, while four other Red Hawks tallied at least one point.
Conn (3-9, 0-8 NESCAC) returns to conference action on Saturday as the Camels travel north to take on Bowdoin at 12:00 p.m. in Brunswick, Maine.
