Top-Ranked Women's Lacrosse Earns Berth In 2005 NCAA Division II Championships, Chieftains To Square Off With Third-Ranked Adelphi In National Semi-Finals Saturday At West Chester

May 9, 2005

For the fourth time in five seasons, the Stonehill College women’s lacrosse team has earned the chance to play for a national championship, as the Chieftains of Head Coach Michael Daly are one of four teams to earn berths in the 2005 NCAA Division II Women’s Lacrosse Championship set to take place next weekend.

Stonehill, the top-ranked team nationally in Division II for the past five weeks, will meet third-ranked Adelphi in the first national semi-final on Saturday, May 14th at West Chester University’s South Campus Field in West Chester, Pa. beginning at 11:30 a.m. EDT. The second national semi-final will pit second-ranked West Chester against sixth-ranked Lock Haven at 2:00 p.m. EDT, and the two winners will meet for the 2005 NCAA Division II national championship on Sunday, May 15th at West Chester’s South Campus Field at Noon EDT.

Stonehill brings a 19-0 overall mark into the 2005 NCAA championships, as the Chieftains captured their seventh straight Northeast-10 Conference regular season and sixth straight league tournament titles this spring, and also bring a school-record 25-match winning streak into Saturday’s national semi-finals that dates back to April 2004. Five different players have totaled at least 57 points to date on the season for Stonehill, including 2005 Northeast-10 Player of the Year and two-time All-America junior Erin Acone (Bow, N.H./Bow), who has amassed 64 goals and 17 assists for 81 points on the spring. Fellow junior Jenny McGrath (Milton, Mass./Milton) shares the overall scoring lead with Acone in collecting 81 points (55 goals, 26 assists), while senior All-America Colby Confer has chipped in with 57 goals and 12 assists for 69 points. 2005 Northeast-10 Freshman of the Year Kristin Darrell (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip), who joined Confer in scoring four goals each in a 16-3 victory over Merrimack in the Northeast-10 championship match, has notched 53 goals and 12 assists for 65 points during her rookie campaign, while senior Courtney Duggan (Billerica, Mass./Billerica) has posted 37 goals and 20 assists for 57 points.

Stonehill has been the top-ranked offensive and defensive team in Division II throughout the season, as the Chieftains have broken West Chester’s NCAA team record for goals with 365 tallies to date (19.21 per game) while also leading the country in team defense in allowing only 66 goals in 19 contests, an average of 3.47 per match. Senior Meaghan Carey (Hingham, Mass./Hingham), the 2005 Northeast-10 Defensive Player of the Year, leads a unit that also includes 2004 IWLCA National Defensive Player of the Year Kate Sarkissian (Sandwich, Mass./Sandwich), while junior goalkeeper Lauren Stone (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) has set a school single-season record for wins with 17 in net while ranking first in the nation in goals against average (3.67) and second in saves percentage (.609).

Saturday’s first national semi-final pits the last two NCAA Division II national champions, as Stonehill (the 2003 NCAA champ) will square off with defending national champion Adelphi. Head Coach Jill Lessne’s Panthers bring a 14-1 overall record into Saturday’s national semi-final after overcoming a five-goal deficit in the final 12 minutes last Saturday to post a last second 13-12 victory over third-ranked LIU-C.W. Post in a re-match of the 2004 NCAA national semi-final. Adelphi is led in scoring by senior Katherine Hock, who has netted 69 goals on the season and joined Acone as the only two Division II players nationally to be on the prestigious Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List earlier this season. The Panthers’ lone setback on the 2005 season came on April 3rd when Adelphi dropped a 13-5 decision to Stonehill in Garden City, N.Y., a contest that saw Acone match her career-high with eight goals.

Like Adelphi, West Chester enters the NCAA championships with just one setback, as the Golden Rams of Head Coach Ginny Martino are 16-1 overall on the season and claimed their 17th Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship back on April 30th with a 16-5 triumph over seventh-ranked Bloomsburg. Senior Kirstin McGoldrick leads West Chester in scoring with 46 goals and 51 assists for 97 points, while junior Katelyn Martin follows with 75 goals and 10 assists for 85 points. And like Adelphi, the Golden Rams’ lone setback of the season also came at the hands of Stonehill, as West Chester dropped an 11-10 decision to the Chieftains back on April 12th at Chieftain Stadium. The Golden Rams are seeking their second NCAA championship on their home field, as West Chester posted an 11-6 triumph over Stonehill in the 2002 title game.

Lock Haven is making its first-ever NCAA championship appearance, as the Bald Eagles of Head Coach Kristen Selvage sport an overall mark of 14-4 on the season and advanced to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference semi-finals before falling to Bloomsburg. Senior Diana Strizki leads Lock Haven in scoring with 59 goals and 28 assists for 87 points, while sophomore Jenna Richter follows with 34 goals and 35 assists for 69 points.

Sunday’s NCAA Division II national championship game will be televised live by College Sports Television (CSTV), which can be accessed on DirecTV Channel 610 and over selected cable systems.

CHIEFTAIN CHATTER: Stonehill and Adelphi are meeting for the fifth time since 2002, as the Chieftains have taken three of the four previous match-ups with the Panthers…For the first time in four NCAA appearances, Stonehill will not face LIU-C.W. Post in the national semi-finals. After falling in double overtime in the inaugural championship in 2001, the Chieftains bested the Pioneers in both 2002 and 2003, including a one-goal decision at West Chester in the 2002 national semi-finals…Stonehill and West Chester share the lead in most NCAA tournament appearances with LIU-C.W. Post, as each school has now made four appearances.

2005 NCAA Division II Women’s Lacrosse Championships

Saturday-Sunday, May 14-15, 2005

Hosted By West Chester University, West Chester, Pa.

SATURDAY, MAY 14TH – NATIONAL SEMI-FINALS

Game #1: STONEHILL (19-0) vs. Adelphi (14-1) 11:30 a.m.

Game #2: West Chester (16-1) vs. Lock Haven (14-4) 2:00 p.m.

SUNDAY, MAY 15TH – NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Game #3: Semi-Final Winners Noon