Heading into a match against Buffalo State on Friday, Geneseo's No. 22-ranked women's lacrosse team was looking to continue a winning streak after clinching two convincing victories the week prior.
After a goal by freshman Caroline Buonocore pulled Geneseo within one with 42 seconds remaining in the first half, Buffalo State increased its lead to two, scoring with only nine seconds left before intermission.
As the second half began, Buffalo State began to pull away with two more quick goals. But at the 15:52 mark, Geneseo senior attacker Lauren Burgoon started a run that had Geneseo scoring five straight goals over a 3:23 span to give the Knights an 11-10 lead.
The bombardment of goals was not enough, though. Geneseo surrendered two more goals in the final minutes, squandering the lead and losing 12-11.
Buonocore scored a season-high seven goals in the loss.
"We would have been much happier with a win; however, the team played really well and it was a good battle," said head coach Carly Ritchlin.
The Knights did not let the effects of a close loss linger, as they were able to rebound the next day and defeat SUNY New Paltz at home, 18-5.
Geneseo was in control from the opening whistle, scoring the first eight of nine goals on the game. The Knights built on a 9-3 halftime lead with three goals apiece from freshman Emily Haggerty and senior Cassie Broton.
"We needed to stick to our standard of lacrosse. Work hard, move the ball and take quality shots. I believed we accomplished these things and put together a great game," Ritchlin said.
In the match against SUNY Oswego on Tuesday, Geneseo kept the goals coming and claimed an impressive 18-7 victory.
With the win, Buonocore scored six goals and set a school record for most goals in a season with 64. Her fifth goal of the contest put her ahead of Maggie Morris ‘09, who totaled 62 goals in her senior season.
The Knights are 11-2 overall and 5-2 in SUNYAC. They travel to face Rochester Institute of Technology on Thursday and SUNY Cortland on Saturday.