Desiree Cox Scores Winning Goal in HU Overtime Thriller

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senior Desiree Cox lifted the Howard women’s lacrosse team to their first win of the season with the game-winning in an overtime thriller against the Marywood University Pacers. Cox’s six goals helped push the Bison to their 15-14 win.

The Bison flew to an early 5-0 lead over the Pacers before eventually allowing four unanswered goals. Howard would regain control and never let up their lead and ensued to score four additional quick goals in the second half.

Howard Bison Midfielder Desiree Cox

In the later part of the second period, however, Marywood’s Kimberly Commisso took advantage of a free position shot and inched Marywood within a goal of Howard’s 11-10 lead. Cox immediately responded with a goal to push Howard back up, 12-10.

A critical point in the final minutes of the game came when freshman Imani McLeary sacked her second yellow card, allowing Marywood another free position attempt. Marywood’s Taylor McKeown took advantage of the opportunity and successfully tied the game at 12 goals a piece with 7:12 left on the clock.

Junior Cheryse Cox garnered a free position shot of her own immediately following Marywood’s score and broke the tie to bring Howard up 13-12. Another Marywood score would bring the game back to a tie. Marywood would attempt to take the game with less than 30 seconds left in regulation, but HU’s goalie Amber Meeks garnered a crucial save in the net to send the match into overtime. Meeks would go on to finish the game with 12 saves.

Commisso jumpstarted the first overtime period with a goal, giving Marywood their first lead of the game. Desiree would have an opportunity to tie the game with a free position shot with time expired, but missed. She would rebound, however, to claim her fifth goal of the game off an assist from Cheryse. Cheryse led the Bison with two assists on the day.

Desiree would be granted another pair of chances after scoring what would have been the game-winning goal, however the point was taken away as a result of a Marywood foul. With less than a minute remaining, Desiree was allowed another free position shot, where she nailed the goal that afforded the Bison their first win of the season.

Desiree scored a season-high six goals in the game and led the Bison with 15 shots. Cheryse chimed in with thee goals on 12 total shots, while Courtland Lackey added two goals on three shots. Chastity Dailey, Ashley Lawrence, and Cynithia Smalls finished the game with a goal a piece to assist Howard in it’s highest scoring game thus far into the season.

By Tiffany White, Sports Information Assistant
Howard University
Visit: howard-bison.com

Division I Howard Nips Pacers in Overtime, 15-14

Washington, D.C. – Desiree Cox scored with just 23 seconds to play in the second overtime period to lift Division I Howard University to a 15-14 win over Marywood University in non-conference women's lacrosse action on Tuesday afternoon. The victory lifts the Bison's record to 2-3 on the young season while the Pacers finish their season-opening Spring Break trip with a 1-1 mark.

Howard built a 5-0 lead over the first 12:43 of Wednesday's contest before Marywood rattled off four consecutive goals to close the half and trail by a slim, 5-4 margin at the intermission. Allie Sodl started the Pacers' run with an unassisted tally at the 15:36 mark of the first half and Diana D'Achille scored just over three minutes later. Taylor McKeown netted the final two goals of the half for the Pacers.

The Bison opened the second half with a 4-0 run to reclaim a five-goal cushion at 9-4 when Courtland Lackey scored unassisted with 22:16 left on the clock. Marywood's Kimberly Commisso countered just 13 seconds later and D'Achille and McKeown followed with goals of their own to make the score 9-7 with 19:58 to play. Liz Fowler assisted on McKeown's third goal of the game to record the first point of her collegiate career.

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