Women’s Lacrosse Sticks It to Opponents in First Two Games

In its first game under the NYIT Athletics program, the NYIT women’s lacrosse team walked away its first win.

On Saturday, February 25, the Bears defeated home-team Georgian Court, 12-7. Alyssa Milano had six goals, Karie Znaniecki tallied three goals and three assists, Katie Meinecke had two goals and three assists, and Lauren Young had 13 saves in the historic win.

After Dowling College closed its doors in May, NYIT swiftly agreed to add women’s lacrosse to its Athletics program. Coach Kerri Handras and 14 former Dowling players ultimately landed at NYIT for the inaugural season. The remainder of the first-year Bears squad includes women’s soccer players, many of whom believed their lacrosse careers ended with high school.

“There was a lot of anxiety and expectations to do well,” Handras said. “Everyone was definitely relieved to get the win, putting us in the right direction.”

“It was awesome,” said Milano. “We were all really excited. We had a lot of high energy.”

Three days later, The Bears played their first home opener against Merrimack. Handras and the team were eager to play in front of NYIT’s home crowd. “We were definitely excited to show them what we’ve got,” said Handras after Saturday’s win.

The Bears, currently ranked number 15, overcame a three-goal deficit to defeat Merrimack, 6-5, on Tuesday afternoon at President’s Stadium. Senior attacker Katie Meinecke scored the game winner with 2:56 remaining, and goaltender Lauren Young made a key save with less than 20 seconds to go as the Bears held on.

Meinecke and Kim Geiger had two goals apiece. Lexi Ruiz and Trisha Serras each had two assists.

The historic game drew big media attention, with ABC, CBS, and News 12 covering the Bears big win.

“Honestly, we had a lot of nerves, it being our first home opener,” Serras said. “With all the media, I feel like a lot of the team members were letting it get in their heads. But at the end of the day we came out to play. Even though we were behind, we didn't let that break us down.”

Said Young, “It was high intensity, a lot of anxiety, but I felt like we got through it as a team, and really worked together and pulled through at the end.”