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WEST CHESTER GRABS 8-7 WIN OVER LOCK HAVEN FOR LEAGUE TITLE
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Courtesy of West Chester Sports Information
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Seventh-ranked West Chester University held on down the stretch to win the 2013 PSAC Championship title with an 8-7 victory over sixth-ranked Lock Haven University Saturday afternoon at Charlotte E. Smith Field.
West Chester (15-4) awaits the NCAA Division II Women’s Lacrosse selection show Sunday night at 8 p.m. on NCAA.com. The Golden Rams will see if their body of work was enough to earn another trip to the NCAA Tournament. Lock Haven (15-2) saw its 12-game winning streak come to a close with the loss. They, too, will await the NCAA selection show to see if their season continues.
West Chester won its conference record 21st conference championship, but first since 2008. The Golden Rams and Lady Eagles have played for the PSAC Championship in seven of the last eight seasons.
Junior goalkeeper Jess Henderson was named the tournament’s most valuable player, making nine saves in the championship game to go along with her 11 saves in the semifinals.
“I didn’t think a goalie could win this award,” Henderson said afterwards. “But, I’ll take it.”
“(Henderson) was fabulous all weekend,” West Chester head coach Ginny Martino said. “She jump-started our attack with her saves. The “D” was playing great in front of her. But, she came up with some big saves when we needed them.
“I think we showed this week that we can play defense. This whole weekend was about the defense.”
The victory was not without its heart-stopping moments in the final minute. West Chester and Lock Haven exchanged turnovers in the Rams’ end with 45 seconds left, before Lock Haven finally cleared the ball, and Kelly Close drew a free position attempt with five seconds left on the clock. However, Close false-started on the attempt, and the referees had to huddle to discuss how play would resume.
They called for a “throw” and the clock expired before anybody could gain possession of the ball.
West Chester held an 8-5 lead with 7:42 remaining when Lock Haven finally made its move. The Lady Eagles got back-to-back tallies from Cilla (1 goal) and Pandolf (3 goals) to cut the margin to one with 1:28 left.
Tori Dugan won the ensuing draw control, but West Chester turned the ball over in the corner while chasing a loose ball with 58 seconds left. Dugan knocked down an outlet pass on the restart, but Lock Haven picked up the ground ball with 45 ticks remaining. That is when Close raced the length of the field on the clear and drew the free position attempt with five seconds to go.
“We’ve been here so many times and not come away with the championship,” Dugan said. “(The seniors) asked everybody in the room to raise their hand if they had ever won a PSAC championship, and nobody raised their hand. I think that was enough motivation for everyone in the room.”
“It seems like 50 years,” Martino said. “I forgot what this feeling was like. Congratulations to the seniors today. They really rocked it. They were exceptional.”
Lauren Glassey and Nicole Pyle each finished with a hat trick. Glassey contributed two assists to post five points in the championship game. Dugan scored twice and assisted on two others. Pandolf scored three times for Lock Haven.
LOCK HAVEN AND WEST CHESTER TO BATTLE FOR GOLD
Lock Haven, Pa. - Lock Haven and West Chester survived their come from behind semifinal matches on Friday afternoon to advance to face one another in the 2013 PSAC Lacrosse Championship game on Saturday.
Haven was down 1-0 against Bloomsburg at the half but was able to net some goals in the second half to win 6-5.
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Lock Haven ended Bloomsburg's chance at winning the program's second-consecutive title, while Lock Haven is in the hunt for its seventh title in program history. Riding a 12-game win streak, the Eagles are looking to win their fourth title in five seasons.
The Golden Rams were also down at intermission with a 4-3 score, and were also able to battle back and clinch the semifinal win 7-6 over IUP.
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West Chester advances to the PSAC Championship game for the 18th time since 1994 in search of the school’s first conference title since 2008. The Golden Rams have won a league-record 20 conference crowns.
The Saturday 1:00 p.m. championship game marks the seventh time in the last eight years that Lock Haven and West Chester will battle for the PSAC Championship crown in women’s lacrosse.
PSAC LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
Lock Haven, Pa. - After two quarterfinals matches on Tuesday afternoon, the final four teams of the 2013 PSAC Lacrosse Championship are decided for Friday, May 3.
At 1:00 p.m. on the campus of Lock Haven the Bloomsburg Huskies, seeded fifth in the tournament, will take on the No. 1 Eagles. The Huskies are in the hunt to defend their conference title from a year ago and clinch the program’s fifth PSAC crown, while Lock Haven is on track to win it’s seventh in school history. If the Eagles, unbeaten in conference play, take the tournament it would mark their fourth PSAC title in five seasons. Lock Haven defeated Bloomsburg 15-5 earlier this season.
IUP downed Gannon in the quarterfinals 19-10 to advance to the semifinal round and will play West Chester at 4:00 p.m. The Crimson Hawks have yet to win a PSAC Conference title while also making their first-ever final four appearance.
West Chester, who handed IUP a 15-8 loss earlier this season, is looking to break back into the conference championship game after being ousted by Bloomsburg a year ago with a 15-11 loss in the semifinals. Prior to 2012, West Chester had played in every championship game dating back to 2001.
IUP & BLOOMSBURG MOVE ON TO LACROSSE SEMIFINALS
IUP and Bloomsburg won in the quarterfinal round of the 2013 PSAC Lacrosse Championship to move on to the semifinals.
The Crimson Hawks downed Gannon 19-10 (
Box) in Indiana, Pa. IUP will face No. 2 seed West Chester at 4:00 p.m. on Lock Haven’s campus on Friday, May 3.
Mercyhurst couldn’t keep the Huskies down, as Bloomsburg earned a 17-10 (
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PSAC LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP SEEDS AND QUARTERFINAL MATCHUPS SET
Lock Haven, Pa. – The 2013 PSAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship seeds are determined, with Lock Haven leading the way with a perfect 11-0 record in PSAC action.
No. 6 seed Gannon will travel to No. 3 IUP on Tuesday, April 30, for a quarterfinal contest, while No. 4 Mercyhurst will host No. 5 Bloomsburg. Both quarterfinals are to be played at 4:00 p.m.
The Lady Eagles will host the upcoming semifinals and championship game on May 3-4, and will face the winner of Mercyhurst and Bloomsburg at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. No. 2 West Chester will play against the winner between Gannon and IUP at 4:00 p.m.