HOBOKEN, N.J. – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's lacrosse team won its fourth straight Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom Tournament Saturday afternoon at the DeBaun Athletic Complex with a commanding 19-5 win over Lebanon Valley.
Stevens (15-4), the conference's top seed, scored 15 unanswered goals between the first and fourth quarters, out-shooting the #2 Dutchmen 40-9, winning 18 of 22 draw controls.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Rebecca Guerra opened the scoring within the first minute, but Lebanon Valley responded with the next two, taking the lead six minutes in. Guerra equalized less than a minute later, then after six scoreless minutes, Emily squared (
Emily Smart and
Emily Leiby) scored in the final two minutes, putting the Ducks up two after one.
Both teams' defenses settled in to start the second quarter, conceding just three combined shots over the first 4+ minutes..
Eran Gleason broke through the gridlock with the first goal of the quarter just shy of the 10:00 mark. Leiby (twice),
Anna Velardi,
Alison Lax, and
Alison Murray all added a goal over the following five minutes (each goal roughly a minute apart), pushing the Stevens lead to 10-2 at the 4:58 mark, that score holding the rest of the quarter.
Stevens' unanswered scoring stretch continued into the second half, with Lax, Hogan, and
Stefanie Sellitto all finding the back of the net in the first four minutes, Murray converting a free-position opportunity six minutes in, and both Leiby & Hogan adding in the latter third of the quarter.
Lebanon Valley (13-6) finally found the back of the net, ending a near-40 minute scoring drought in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. Lax and
Kamryn Kramer (twice) scored for the Ducks.
Inside the Box Score
- For the second straight season, Stevens scored 19 goals (against Lebanon Valley) in the conference final.
- Gleason took home Tournament MVP honors, finishing the tournament with four ground balls and seven caused turnovers across the semis and final. Gleason's goal was also the first of her Stevens career on her third collegiate shot attempt.
- Leiby finished with four goals, her fifth straight hat trick and 11th in total this season. Leiby also hit 50 goals for the second straight season.
- Hogan finished with two goals and two assists, her seventh straight game with at least three points. Like Leiby, Hogan also hit 50 goals for the season.
- Lax had a hat trick, hitting 24 for the year, setting a new single-season best as a Duck after finding the back of the net 23 times last year.
Up Next: The Ducks will await their Division III Championships fate, with the full bracket to be unveiled during the selection show on Monday at 10:30 a.m. Links for live stats and video will be posted to stevensducks.com.
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