Sophomore Elizabeth Vetter scored two goals for the Skyhawks. (PHOTO BY Marcello Cutti/Starlight Media) |
Jahelka and Froccaro lead Panthers to sixth-straight NE-10 title game
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (May 2, 2015) – Top-seeded and host Adelphi University, ranked No. 2 in both the Nike/Lacrosse Magazine Top 20 and Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division II poll, used a late first half run to break the game open and then a late second half run to seal a 14-5 victory over fourth-seeded Stonehill College, ranked sixth in the Lacrosse Magazine poll and seventh in the IWLCA poll, in semifinal round action of the 2015 Northeast-10 Conference Women's Lacrosse Tournament at Motamed Field today.
Adelphi (17-1, 12-1 NE-10), the defending champions, advances to the championship game for the sixth straight year where it will host second-seeded and No. 4/5 Le Moyne College (17-2, 12-1 NE-10) tomorrow at 1 p.m. The Dolphins advanced with an 11-8 triumph over third-seeded and No. 4/5 University of New Haven in today's second semifinal. Stonehill (15-4, 10-3 NE-10) now awaits word on an at large bid to the NCAA Tournament when the selection show airs tomorrow night on ncaa.com at 8 p.m. The Skyhawks, which were competing in the NE-10 semifinals for the 17th-straight year, are ranked fourth in this week's NCAA North Regional rankings.
Sophomore Jacqueline Jahelka (Garden City, New York/Garden City) led Adelphi with five points on three goals and two assists, converting 2-of-3 free-position shots, to go with two ground balls, while senior Alexa Froccaro (Port Washington, New York/Port Washington) netted a game-high four goals with a ground ball and caused turnover. Junior Rachel O'Brien (Bayport, New York/Bayport-Blue Point) posted two goals and two assists, while classmate Emily Keesling (Bel Air, Maryland/Patterson Mill) dished out three assists. Seniors Felicia Mills (Islip, New York/Islip) and Danielle Jaycox (Amityville, New York/St. John the Baptist) each chipped in with a pair of goals.
Junior Taylor Hayes (Rockville Center, New York/Kellenberg) made four saves, three first half, in the Adelphi goal. The Panthers posted a 31-10 advantage for shots and a 13-8 edge in draw controls with sophomore Ryley Webber (Wantagh, New York/Wantagh) collecting eight of those draws. Adelphi also forced 15 Stonehill turnovers and held the Skyhawks to 6-for-12 on clear attempts. Senior Ashley Armstrong (Northborough, Massachusetts/Algonquin Regional) finished with nine stops in the Stonehill goal, six of which came in the opening half.
Senior Brooke Rudden posted a goal and three assists for the Skyhawks. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes) |
Senior Brooke Rudden (Hopkinton, Massachusetts/Hopkinton) had a hand in four of Stonehill's five goals with a four point afternoon with a goal and three assists. Her three helpers today give her 97 in 70 career games played, which ranks fifth in program history, while her 48 assists this season is the second-highest single-season total in program history. Sophomore Elizabeth Vetter (Great River, New York/East Islip) scored a pair of goals for the Skyhawks with four draw controls, while senior Lizzie Lane (Sandwich, Massachusetts/Bishop Stang) posted a goal and assist with three draws and a caused turnover. Senior Jillian Yung (Bridgewater, Massachusetts/Bridgewater Raynham) chipped in with a goal.
Stonehill struck first when Lane collected the opening draw and then Yung scored just 41-seconds into the game. Adelphi equalized less than two minutes later as Froccaro converted a free-position shot 2:27 into the half that sparked a three goal run that put the Panthers in front for good. Jaycox gave Adelphi the lead off a feed from Keesling less than five minutes in and then O'Brien pushed the Panthers lead to two less than nine minutes into the game.
Vetter scored off a feed from senior Emily Kessel (Kennebunk, Maine/Kennebunk) with 16:50 left in the first half to pull Stonehill back within a goal, but Jahelka potted two straight free-position goals that pushed the Panthers lead to three goals and the Skyhawks wouldn't be back within two goals the rest of the way. Lane scored for Stonehill, assisted by Rudden, with 7:35 remaining in the half, but Adelphi reeled off the final three goals of the half to take an 8-3 lead into halftime. O'Brien contributed a goal and assist for the Panthers during that run.
Adelphi stretched the run to four goals with the first marker of the second half by Mills, assisted by Keesling, 3:06 in. Stonehill scored the next two goals as Rudden set up Vetter with 19:15 remaining and then scored off a feed from Lane just over a minute later to pull within four (9-5) with 18:12 still to play, the Panthers squashed the comeback bid by netting the final five goals of the contest. Froccaro scored twice for Adelphi during the clinching run, while Jahelka posted a goal and two assists in the final 15:45.
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