ROCHESTER, N.Y. (April 26, 2008) – Sophomore attacker Alyssa Pigott amassed six points off three goals and three assists on Saturday afternoon as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's lacrosse team beat St. John Fisher College, 14-8, in an Empire 8 Tournament semifinal match-up at Nazareth College in Rochester, N.Y. With the victory, the Ducks went to 12-4 on the season and will advance to Sunday's title game against Ithaca College, which is slotted for a 1 p.m. start.
Pigott also had three ground balls and a draw control. Freshman attacker Michelle Buonacuore recorded a game-high four goals, while senior attacker Liz Mather led all players with four assists. Freshman midfielder Christine Smith compiled four points on three goals and an assist. She also posted a ground ball and three draws.
Freshman attacker Leah Wasserman added a goal and an assist. Freshman defender Kate Cox chipped in with an assist and two caused turnovers. Senior goaltender Stephanie Linder made 13 saves for Stevens.
St. John Fisher (10-7) was led by sophomore attacker/midfielder Lauren Glavin (Syracuse, N.Y.), who collected four goals. Sophomore midfielder/attacker Ashley Fenyn (Newark, N.Y.) recorded three points off two goals and an assist. She also contributed two draw control wins, a ground ball and a caused turnover. Senior midfielder and Empire 8 Player of the Year Laurie Quackenbush (Penn Yan, N.Y.) registered seven ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers. Sophomore goalkeeper Vicki Sahm (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) stopped a game-high 13 shots.
Tied at 1-1 with just under 27 minutes left in the first half, the Ducks scored three unanswered goals to grab hold of a 4-1 lead with 20:20 remaining. Buonacuore tallies the first two tallies, while Wasserman capped off the burst with a score off a feed from Mather. The Cardinals answered with two straight to get within one (4-3). Fenyn and freshman midfielder/attacker Courtney Clare (Camillus, N.Y.) accounted for the scoring.
After that, Stevens found the back of the cage on four of the next six goals to take a three-goal advantage at 8-5. Freshman midfielder Pamela Loria posted her seventh tally of the season off of a pass from Wasserman. St. John Fisher closed out the period by scoring two of the final three goals to cut its deficit to 9-7 heading into the locker room.
As the second half began, play was immediately halted and the game was stuck in a two-hour rain delay. Once the rain subsided, both teams came back onto the field and action resumed. In the latter stanza, the Ducks out-scored the Cardinals by a 5-1 count to secure their spot in tomorrow's conference championship. Pigott put the game away via scores with 7:01 and 2:48 remaining to give Stevens a 14-8 advantage.
Stevens owned a 20-15 advantage in shots and a 10-6 margin in draw controls. St. John Fisher held a 9-7 edge in ground balls. In clears, the Ducks converted 81.0 percent (13-of-16) of them, while the Cardinals were 14-for-19 (74.0 percent). Stevens was also strong on the defensive side of the field as it held St. John Fisher to 1-for-7 on free-position attempts.
The winner of tomorrow's contest between the Ducks and Bombers will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. During the regular season, Stevens beat Ithaca, 16-10, on March 31 in Ithaca, N.Y.
