Post edges W. Chester in NCAA lacrosse final
LOUISVILLE - West Chester fell behind early in the game and never could quite overcome the deficit in losing the NCAA Division II women's lacrosse national championship, 17-16, to C.W. Post.
LOUISVILLE - West Chester fell behind early in the game and never could quite overcome the deficit in losing the NCAA Division II women's lacrosse national championship, 17-16, to C.W. Post.
Pioneers sophomore Jackie Sileo set a Division II record with nine points, including six goals, in a national final.
The Golden Rams (16-4) scored the game's first goal and C.W. Post scored the next seven (four by Nan Mayott) to take a 7-1 lead with just over 13 minutes left in the first half, at Bellarmine University's Frazier Stadium.
C.W. Post (17-3) picked up its third national championship. All three have come at the expense of West Chester.
The Rams made a late push, scoring five of the final six goals and cutting the deficit to one on two separate occasions. But Sileo scored her sixth goal with 3-minutes, 44-seconds left give the Pioneers a two-goal lead, 17-15, and they hung on.
West Chester attacker Tori Dugan (Rustin High), who finished with seven points, found Nicole Pyle (Henderson) wide open on the far post with 20 seconds remaining to pull the Rams to within one. But, West Chester was whistled for a foul on the ensuing draw control and Post ran out the clock to preserve the victory.
"We had the mind-set that we just had to get one goal at a time," Dugan commented. "It was just too much of a hole to dig ourselves out of this time."
The Division II tournament began in 2001 and West Chester has been in the championship game nine times - winning in 2002 and 2008 (when the Rams beat C.W. Post.)
"We match up really well with them," said West Chester coach Ginny Martino. "They have a great offense, but we have a great defense. Our strengths kind of play against one another there. I just wish we could come out on top a little more often."
Trailing 7-1, West Chester scored six of the next nine goals to make it 10-7 with 1:04 left in the opening period. But, Sileo's goal with 15 seconds left gave the Pioneers an 11-7 halftime lead.
Dugan led West Chester with five goals and a pair of assists, while Loren Glassey (Henderson) and Jamie Dolan each had three.
Glassey, a junior midfielder, now ranks sixth all time in goals scored (17) in NCAA tournament play and eighth all time in points (19).
WCU's Jess Henderson (Henderson) finished with 11 saves while Post's Dominique Mosca recorded eight.
Glassey, Dugan, and Theresa Giunta (Henderson) were named to the all-tournament team.
Noteworthy: West Chester's Melinda Speers, a sophomore midfielder, was part of her second national championship game in the same academic year. She was a midfielder on the Golden Rams' field hockey national champion last fall.
