PSAC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Mercyhurst Defeats West Chester, 17-14
Courtest of Mercyhurst Sports Information
ERIE, Pa. --
Janelle Williams led Mercyhurst scorers with four goals and one assist while Kristin Anderson played her way to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player Award as the eighth-ranked Lakers' women's lacrosse team claimed its first-ever league championship with a 17-14 triumph over 15th-ranked West Chester on Sunday at Tullio Field.
Anderson had two goals and 10 draw controls during the final, finishing with six goals and 17 DCs in the
PSAC Lacrosse MVP: Kristin Anderson
tournament.
Olivia Keirn and Carly Zimmerman added three goals and one assist apiece for Mercyhurst (17-2) while Emily Gebhardt totaled two goals and three assists.
Also for Mercyhurst, Grace Lawson had two goals, Kyla Keefe contributed one goal and one assist, and Kristinia Roberti dished one assist.
Winning goalie Bella Corieri finished with five saves for the Lakers. She, Gebhardt, Christa Morrison and Emily Koestler picked up three groundballs apiece. Morrison added three caused turnovers.
Anderson and Gebhardt led MU's early 6-1 run with two goals each during that stretch. The Lakers' largest lead was 14-5 before the visiting Golden Rams closed the game on a 9-3 run.
Hannah Cowan had four goals to lead WCU (17-2). Ali Donohue and Kristen Vath put in three scores apiece and goalie Paige Mitros stopped six shots.
The Lakers outshot the Rams, 34-33, and held a 17-10 advantage in draw controls.
Mercyhurst now awaits word from the NCAA, which will hold its NCAA Tournament selection show on Sunday night. The Lakers will learn the opponent and location of their tournament opener. This will be the program's first appearance at Nationals since 2009.
PSAC SEMIFINALS
Mercyhurst Defeats Lock Haven, 16-6
Erie, Pa. - The PSAC Lacrosse Semifinal between Meryhurst and Lock Haven was never in doubt for the top-seeded Lakers, who jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never looked back, eventually winning 16-6.
Kristin Anderson and
Carly Zimmerman each had two goals within 15 minutes, combining for 80% of the tallies for the hosts after a quick 5-1 lead.
The closest that LHU ever got was four goals, but after making it 8-4, Mercyhurst scored seven straight goals, putting the game out of reach.
West Chester Defeats IUP, 12-11
Erie, Pa. - West Chester ended the game on a 7-1 run, completing the improbably comeback and securing a place in the PSAC Championship Game with a 12-11 victory.
IUP led 10-5 after scoring a goal with 17:37 remaining. Less than four minutes later, WCU was able to chip away with three straight goals, including two by
Sami Barnett.
The Crimson Hawks got back on the board to make it a three-goal, 11-8, lead. It would, however, not be enough.
The Golden Rams would not allow IUP to score again and would four more times, including a goal from Hannah Cowan with just 33 seconds showing on the clock to secure the win.
PSAC QUARTERFINALS
IUP Defeats Millersville, 14-10
Indiana, Pa. - IUP overcame a 5-0 early deficit to defeat Millersville by a final score of 14-10 in the PSAC Quarterfinal matchup.
The Marauders scored the first five goals by five different players before the Crimson Hawks came storming back with eight straight goals to end the first half leading 8-5.
IUP was led by
Adriana Greco who had a game high four goals along with an assist.
Amy Weinberg added three goals, while dishing out three assists.
Millersville was led by
Abby Mack,
Bridget Hufnagel, and
Callie Kavanaugh who all had two goals. Hufnagel added three assists, while Mack added one.
IUP will move on to the PSAC Semifinals who will face West Chester at Mercyhurst on Friday, May 6.
LOCK HAVEN DEFEATS SETON HILL, 16-9
Lock Have, Pa. - Lock Haven defeated Seton Hill in a PSAC Quarterfinal matchup by a score of 16-9 to move on to the PSAC Semifinals. The Bald Eagles will face Mercyhurst at Mercyhurst Friday, May 6.
Lock Haven took a commanding lead, leading 8-2 at the half. Leading the way for the Bald Eagles in the half was
Shannon Bissnette with three goals, while
Rachel Engler netted two goals.
The Bald Eagles added to their lead in the second half, where they saw Engler add to her goal total, netting two more.
Jenna Dingler also added four goals for the Haven, while
Ashley Gochenaur scored three goals.
Emily Fagan led Seton Hill with a team high three goals and two assists.
Alessandra Nicholas added two goals and an assist for the Griffins.
CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - The bracket for the 2016 PSAC Lacrosse Championship has been finalized. The Mercyhurst Lakers and West Chester Golden Rams shared the regular season title, but the Lakers earned the top seed and hosting privileges with a head-to-head win over WCU.
Mercyhurst has the second-most prolific scoring offense in the league and averages more draw controls per game than any other PSAC squad.
The Golden Rams lead the league in scoring, recording 16.18 goals per game. WCU owns 21 PSAC Championships in lacrosse, the most in league history.
IUP and the two-time defending conference champions from Lock Haven earned the third and fourth seeds, respectively, and will host quarterfinal contests this Saturday, April 30. IUP will host Millersville, while Lock Haven will host Seton Hill.
Amy Weinberg is the leading scorer for the Crimson Hawks, totaling 79 points in 2016, including a league-best 63 assists.
The duo of Rachel Engler and Shannon Bissnette lead the attack for Lock Haven, as Engler is sixth in the league in goals per game (3.24), and Bissnette is eighth in the conference in points per game (4.00).
The Marauders boast the leading goal scorer in the conference, as Bridget Hufnagel has scored a total of 58 goals this year, averaging 3.41 per game. Sabrina Fusco is fifth in the league in goals per game.
Seton Hill’s Emily Fagan also has 58 goals this year, scoring six goals in the final game of the year for the Griffins, securing a postseason spot for SHU. Fagan was named the PSAC Lacrosse Athlete of the Week twice this season.
The semifinals of the tournament will take place on Friday, May 6, while the championship game will be held on Sunday, May 8.
West Chester enters the tournament ranked 7th in the country, while Mercyhurst is 8th, IUP is 12th, and Lock Haven in 14th.
Game times for all contests are yet to be determined. Please continue to check PSACsports.org for the latest updates.