HOBOKEN, N.J. (May 10, 2008) – Freshman attacker Leah Wasserman totaled a season-high eight points off of a game-high five goals and three assists on Saturday afternoon to lead the second-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology women's lacrosse team to a 20-6 win against No. 3 seed Cabrini College in the semifinal round of the ECAC Division III Metro-South Championship at the De Baun Athletic Complex in Hoboken, N.J. With the decision, the Ducks improved to 13-6 overall. As for the Cavaliers, they ended the year at 13-6.
Freshman midfielders Pamela Loria and Christine Smith had a total of four points each on three tallies and an assist. Smith also had three draws and two ground balls, while causing one turnover. Sophomore attacker Katie Lalli registered a hat trick. Freshman midfielder Ana Trujillo added two goals. Junior attacker Dana Perriello dished a pair of assists.
Sophomore attacker Alyssa Pigott collected two points off a goal and an assist, which gave her 90 points on the season. She also recorded two ground balls and a caused turnover. Junior defender Cassidy Callahan earned three ground balls and three caused turnovers. Freshman defender/midfielder Kate Cox notched two ground balls and two caused turnovers. Senior goaltender Stephanie Linder and freshman goalkeeper Grace Sack combined to make 12 saves in net for the win.
Cabrini was led by senior attacker Katelyn Penrose (Springfield, Pa.), who finished with three goals and two draws. Sophomore attacker Erin Nollen (West Chester, Pa.) chipped in with a goal, two draw controls and a pair of caused turnovers. Junior defender Christina Romano (Philadelphia, Pa.) had a goal, a pair of ground balls and two caused turnovers. Senior midfielder Maura Brennan (Sewell, N.J.) won six ground balls and caused five turnovers. In cage, freshman goaltender Meghan Sullivan (Sewell, N.J.) stopped five shots.
The Ducks jumped out of the gate fast as they exploded for four goals in an eight-minute stretch. Wasserman notched a hat trick in that span, while Pigott contributed a goal and an assist. Two minutes later, the Cavaliers responded with a goal from the stick of Penrose to come within 4-1. However, Stevens continued to score as it tallied four of the next five tallies. Wasserman found the back of the net twice, while Loria picked up a hat trick on three straight goals. That burst gave the Ducks an 11-3 advantage with 5:54 left in the first half.
Exactly one minute later, Cabrini was able to cut the deficit to seven on a score by freshman attacker Kristen Vernon (West Chester, Pa.) off a feed from freshman attacker Dolores Weathers (Media, Pa.). But, the Cavaliers were not able to contain the Stevens offense as it scored six unanswered goals to head into the intermission with a 17-4 lead. During that streak, the duo of Lalli and Trujillo combined for a total of five tallies – all of which came in the last three minutes. On another note, the Ducks scored all 17 of their goals in the opening stanza on just 27 shots.
Stevens held a 31-27 advantage in shots, 26-25 edge in ground balls and a 17-11 margin in draw controls. In clears, Cabrini posted a conversion rate of 55.6 percent (15-for-27), while Stevens was 71.4 percent (15-for-21) on clearing attempts. The Ducks also scored two of their goals in the free position, while the Cavaliers just had one.
The Ducks return to action tomorrow when they play for the ECAC Metro-South title against top-seeded Dickinson College. The opening draw is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Dickinson vs. Drew
In the other semifinal match-up today, No. 1 seed Dickinson College defeated No. 4 seed Drew University by a 21-10 final. The Red Devils (12-5) owned a 44-29 advantage in shots and a 22-11 edge in draws, while the Rangers (10-8) had a 22-11 edge in ground balls. Drew was also 16-of-22 in clears, which translates into a conversion rate of 72.7 percent. As for Dickinson, it was 12-of-16 (75.0 percent) in clearing attempts.
Knotted at 3-all with just over 21 minutes remaining in the first half, the Red Devils rattled off seven unanswered goals to take a 10-3 lead with 6:51 to go. Sophomore midfielder Alyssa Crellin (Little Compton, R.I.), who scored a game-high six goals in the contest, notched the last four tallies of the run. Freshman attacker Sunnie Ko (Springfield, Va.) and sophomore midfielder/attacker Lexie Kob (Collegeville, Pa.) contributed a score each.
After that, the Rangers recorded three of the last five goals of the period to come within 12-6 as intermission arrived. Freshman midfielder Stacie Brown (Upper Marlboro, Md.) accounted for the tallies. Dickinson opened up the latter half with seven consecutive goals to put the game away at 19-6. Kob and junior attacker Amy Jennings (Baltimore, Md.) had two scores apiece in the burst.
Drew was led by Brown and senior midfielder Lindsey Perno (Medford, N.J.), who combined for eight points. Perno totaled three goals, one ground ball, two draw controls and a caused turnover, while Brown registered four goals, an assist and five draws.
