McCarthy scores golden goal in OT thriller
- Aiden Locke
- a few seconds ago
- 4 min read
By: Aiden Locke / Operations Manager
The Brockport Golden Eagles women's lacrosse team picked up their first win of 2026 in a thrilling 9-8 matchup against the University of Rochester. Sophomore attacker Karaline McCarthy sealed the game off a free position shot with just over a minute remaining in the overtime period. McCarthy's golden goal capped off a monstrous six point, four goal performance for Brockport.
"Overtime is really, obviously an intense time with the game on the line," McCarthy said. "We just wanted to get one into the back of the net so we set up and plan and stuck to it. We were able to get some shooting space and I knew right there, I got to cash it to take home the W (win).
Prior to McCarthy's goal junior attacker Tristan Davis had a pair of chances to score the winner. The first coming early in overtime on a drive from the right wing. Her shot went just wide of the far post. The second came moments later during UofR's clear. The ball was poked out by Brockport, Davis sat 12 meters out form the cage after she received a pass. She was one-on-one with the goal keeper on a lone break and couldn't capitalize.
"We were playing a little rushed at first... but we had to take a second, compose ourselves just to get a good look in and we did that," McCarthy said.
UofR struggled to find consistent offense due to the Brockport defense's best outing of the 2026 season. First-year forward Rose Bunting tied the game with 1.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. The Yellow Jacket offense created multiple quality scoring chances during their final possession of regulation. Three shots missed the cage but heads up plays on the back line by UofR to back-up the shot attempts kept them alive.
Despite the lower goal output in the game, it was filled with back and forth action. The first half provided 11 combined goals. The Golden Eagles secured a 7-to-4 lead at the break. UofR did not lead at any point of the game, despite tying the game four different times.
"We knew coming out they were going to give us their best game so we came prepared and gave them our best game," Brockport junior attacker Hailey Lewkovich said.
Brockport senior attacker Amanda Evans opened the goal scoring off a feed from first-year midfielder Alivia Cross. Cross' feed found Evans in the slot for a high quality chance that she converted on. Later on in the first quarter McCarthy scored two more for Brockport, the second coming on a man-up oppertunity. At the end of the first Brockport held a 3-to-2 lead.
The second quarter had a similar flow to the first. Both teams played at a high pace and went back and forth. Davis scored two minutes in to extend Brockport's lead to 2. UofR responded with a two goal run led by Senior attacker Alyssa Gorny who tailed a goal and an assist in the second. She finished the game with just three points in what was likely her last matchup with Brockport. Gorny currently sits third all time in UofR women's lacrosse history in career points with 219. Gorny tailed 19 points in four outings against the Golden Eagles for her career.
Lewkovich scored two quick goals in the middle of the second frame which kickstarted a three goal run for Brockport to close out the first half. Sophomore attacker Emily Schiffer found the back of net for the Golden Eagles' seventh goal of the half. McCarthy drew a double team and dished the ball to Schiffer who was wide open in the slot for an easy goal.
"We saw the looks, we knew we were confident, we did the preperation," Lewkovich said. "We knew what was going to happen and the looks just happened to fall."
UofR turned up the defensive pressure in the second half. The third quarter had very limited offensive output from either side. Just one goal combined in the quarter which came from UofR junior attacker Anna Rogers. Both teams struggled with turnovers, errant passes and substitution issues which bogged down both squads.
"It was a lot of back and forth, a lot of new rule changes this year so subbing, we're still working through everything but we we're able to work through it," McCarthy said.
UofR picked up two more goals in rapid fashion to start the fourth quarter. The first from Rogers again and the second from first-year attacker Sam Kinch. Rogers finished the game with a hat-trick for the Yellow Jackets.
Tied 7-to-7 with just over two minutes remaining, Karaline McCarthy scored the go ahead goal. She went one-on-one from the wing, drove inside on her left hand and buried the shot to give Brockport a short lived 8-to-7 lead prior to Rogers game tying goal with 1.8 second left in regulation.
Brockport moves to 1-2 on the season while UofR drops to 2-1. Brockport's next matchup will be against Clarkson University on Saturday March 7 in Potsdam, New York. First draw for that matchup is scheduled for Noon.
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