NE-10 SEMIFINALS: #2 Adelphi Edges #8 Stonehill in Heartbreaker, 12-11 (OT)


Senior All-American Sarah Galligan led the Skyhawks with five points, finishing with 198 for her career, with two goals and three assists. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes)

Brown goal early in second half of overtime the difference after Skyhawks rally to force extra session

Video Highlights (Courtesy of lemoynedolphins.tv)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (May 5, 2012) – Junior Meg Brown (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) scored 22-seconds into the second half of overtime and second-seeded Adelphi University, ranked No. 2 in this week's Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division II poll, held on the rest of the way to claim a 12-11 overtime triumph over third-seeded and 8th-ranked Stonehill College in semifinal round action of the 2012 Northeast-10 Conference Women's Lacrosse Tournament, hosted by Le Moyne College, at Niland Athletic Complex this afternoon.

Adelphi (15-2, 11-1 NE-10) advances to the NE-10 championship game for the third-straight year where it will defend its two-straight titles against top-seeded and top-ranked Le Moyne (16-1, 12-0 NE-10) tomorrow at 3 p.m. The Dolphins advanced with a 12-2 triumph over fourth-seeded and 9th-ranked Bentley University (13-6, 9-3 NE-10) in today's opening semifinal.

Stonehill sees its season come to a close with a 14-5 overall record, 10-2 in NE-10 play, making its record 14th-straight trip to the NE-10 semifinal round.

Brown finished with the winning goal and three assists to go with four ground balls and four draw controls on the afternoon. Sophomore Devan Crimi (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) added three goals and an assist for four points, while senior Erica Devito (Shoreham, N.Y./Shoreham Wading River) contributed two goals and two assists for her four points. Junior Sara Sangiorgio (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) netted three goals for the Panthers, while senior Marissa Mills (Islip, N.Y./Islip) chipped in two markers.

Sophomore Jordann Dempsey (Sparks, Md./Hereford) made five of her seven saves in the second half for Adelphi. Junior All-American Rebecca Moore (Marlborough, Mass./St. Mark's School) finished with 11 stops in the cage for Stonehill. Shots finished even at 31-31, but Adelphi held a 3-1 edge in overtime after Stonehill posted an 18-11 advantage in the second half. Stonehill held the edge in draw controls 16-11, but Adelphi secured two of the three in overtime. The Skyhawks also committed 21 turnovers, but just eight after halftime, compared to 13 for the Panthers.


Junior All-American Rebecca Moore posted 11 saves for the Skyhawks. (PHOTO BY Richard Orr)

Senior All-American Sarah Galligan (West Newbury, Mass./Pentucket Regional) led Stonehill with five points to finish just two shy of 200 for her career as she posted two goals and three assists, while adding four draw controls and three ground balls with a caused turnover. She set up both Skyhawk goals in the closing 2:22 of regulation to force overtime.

Senior All-American Samantha Lynott (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem East) and junior Kayla Green (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) both added three goals and an assist for four points. Lynott also posted three draw controls and was 2-for-2 on free-position shot attempts, while Green also tallied four ground balls.

Junior All-American Kelsey Reilly (Hingham, Mass./Notre Dame Academy) collected six draw controls in the contest for Stonehill to finish her season with a school-record 120 for the season – nearly double the previous record of 61 set by Liza Gross in 2008.


Senior All-American Samantha Lynott added three goals and an assist for the Skyhawks. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes)

Stonehill struck first with a marker from sophomore Mary Lee Mahony (Yardley, Pa./Villa Joseph Marie) 1:57 into the contest. The Skyhawks held Adelphi, the top scoring team in the Conference, off the scoreboard until Crimi scored her first of two-straight goals that gave Adelphi its first lead, assisted by Brown with 21:48 to play in the half. Her second came just under three minutes later on a free-position shot.

Stonehill knotted the score with Green's first of the afternoon with 17:17 left in the half. Freshman Danielle Jaycox (Amityville, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) and Devito gave Adelphi a two goal cushion with free position goals at 14:32 and 11:56. The Skyhawks stormed back with goals from Galligan, assisted by Green, and Lynott to even the score (4-4) with 8:04 remaining.

Sangiorgio scored two-straight goals at 6:49 and 4:52, assisted by Crimi and Devito to regain the two goal cushion for Adelphi. Stonehill sent the game into halftime knotted at 7-7 as Lynott and Galligan both netted unassisted goals at 4:02 and 1:49.

Mills put Adelphi back in front 5:54 into the second half, but Stonehill reeled off three-straight goals to open a two goal lead of its own after Lynott's third of the day with 13:09 left in regulation. Freshman Mikayla Couch (Towaco, N.J./DePaul Catholic) and Green also scored, with Lynott adding an assist during the run.

Adelphi regrouped and appeared headed for victory with four-straight goals to regain a two goal lead (11-9) after Sangiorgio's third with 3:35 to play. Brown dished two assists during the run, while Mills, Crimi and Devito all netted goals as well.

Stonehill wouldn't go down without a fight as Galligan set up junior Heather Sullivan (Andover, Mass./Andover) for her 55th goal of the year with 2:22 left and then dished a pass to Green for her 56th with 27-seconds left to tie the game for the seventh time. The Skyhawks got the ensuing draw and worked its offense for a last second shot at the win, but play took just a little too long to develop and Lynott's shot at the buzzer came just a little too far out and Dempsey collected the save to send the game into overtime.

After a scoreless first three minutes of overtime in which both teams had chances to score, Brown put the Panthers in front 22-seconds into the second half of the extra frame. Stonehill won the draw and earned a free position attempt, but Couch hit the cross bar with 1:48 to play and the Panthers collected the ground ball and were able to run the clock the rest of the way to clinch the win.