Box Score

ITHACA, N.Y. (May 4, 2013) – The No. 1 seed and 14th-ranked Ithaca College women's lacrosse team used a 6-0 run in the second half to propel itself to a 17-11 victory over fourth-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology Saturday in the semifinals of the Empire 8 Women's Lacrosse Championship at Marty Higgins Stadium in Ithaca, N.Y.
 
With the win, Ithaca advances to the Empire 8 title game on Sunday against the winner of third-seeded Nazareth College and second-seeded St. John Fisher College. The loss for Stevens ends its season with an overall mark of 8-10, the team's seventh-straight appearance in postseason play and the sixth-straight Empire 8 Tournament.
 
Ithaca had a 40-18 advantage in shots and 22-17 edge in ground balls. Ithaca won 20-of-31 draw controls and had 10 turnovers compared to 17 for Stevens.
 
The first half was back-and-forth with the two teams going blow-for-blow. Senior attack Tracy Rivas (East Meadow, N.Y.) started the scoring, tallying unassisted 8:47 in, with senior midfielder Spencer Waybright (West Hartford, Conn.) answering for the Ducks to tie the game 50 seconds later.
 
Ithaca came back to take a 2-1 margin, and Stevens quickly retaliated with a free-position goal from the stick of freshman midfielder Erika Wilcox (Baldwinsville, N.Y.).
 
The see-saw affair continued with a Bomber score 29 seconds after the Wilcox score, but Rafferty answered for Stevens with her 60th goal of the season, seeing Ithaca goalie Jess Worthman (Commack, N.Y.) out of position and drilling a shot from 12-yards out.
 
The score remained tied at 3-3 for the next five minutes, but Rafferty gave the Ducks a 4-3 margin moving from the top of the box to the right post and burying a shot in the lower-left corner.
 
Rivas tied the game for Ithaca, but Wilcox and the Ducks answered as the freshman midfielder fed sophomore attack Caitlyn Hughes (Randolph, N.J.) wide-open on the doorstep for her first marker of the afternoon to give the Ducks a 5-4 lead with 7:34 in the opening period.
 
Ithaca responded with a 3-0 run to open a 7-5 edge behind scores from Rivas, senior Kim Armbruster (Boonton, N.J.) and senior Nikki Dahl (Columbus, Ohio). Junior Becky Guzzo (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) notched a pair of assists in the run.
 
Freshman Mackenzie Swartout (Rochester, N.Y.) and Waybright recorded goals 2:10 apart to tie the game at seven, but Armbruster put a wrap on the first-half scoring at the one-minute mark to send Ithaca into the break with an 8-7 edge.
 
That lead quickly moved to two behind the fourth of the afternoon from Rivas, but the Ducks refused to go away, getting scores from senior midfielder Joey Galligan (Burlingame, Calif.) and Wilcox to tie the game at nine-all. Both goals featured several pretty dodges from both players who then executed perfect shots in the lower-left corner of the cage.
 
The game-changing run came over a span of 6:17 and started with 23:05 left in regulation. Guzzo started it and Armbruster capped it to give the Bombers a 15-9 lead with 16:48 on the clock.
 
Stevens did not back down, getting back-to-back scores from Wilcox to get within four at the 14:30 mark, and the Ducks looked to have another one from Galligan but hers was disallowed by way of a bizarre dangerous follow through call.
 
Junior goalie Sarah Prall (Lansdale, Pa.) made three big saves to keep the score at 15-11, and the Ducks did everything they could to try and get closer, but Stevens hit the crossbar twice and Worthman made a pair of big saves.
 
A Rivas free-position score pushed the Bomber lead back to six with 4:38 left and Armbruster scored a late insurance score for the final margin.
 
Wilcox led Stevens with five points on four goals and one assist. Rafferty had two goals, two assistsm three draw controls and two ground balls, while Waybright had two goals, three draws and two ground balls. Sophomore defender Amanda Ingersoll (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) and freshman defender Melissa Conklin (Pequannock, N.J.) each scooped up three ground balls.
 
Worthman made three saves to earn the win in goal. Junior Mel Welcome (Winsted, Conn.) and Prall combined for 14 stops for Stevens.
 
Rivas and Armbruster led Ithaca with seven and five points respectively, with Rivas tying Ithaca's all-time points record in the process.