Said head coach John Jez after the game, “It was a very exciting game. We go into halftime down by three goals… then our offense came together and started to play as a unit and we were able to get more points on the board.”

Sophomore attacker Eddie Plompen (West Islip, N.Y.) led the Pioneers with four goals and was named the game’s Most Outstanding Player.

The Pioneers opened the game with a 3-0 lead with goals from sophomore attacker Keith Rodriguez (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.), senior midfielder Joe Meo (West Sayville, N.Y.) and Plompen.

The Dolphins (15-2) got on the board when junior attacker Jack Harmatuk (Syracuse, N.Y.) scored an unassisted out front with 6:37 to play in the first quarter to cut the lead to 3-1.

The Pioneers got the goal back when Rodriguez scored on a spin-around shot in front of the goal at 5:11. Le Moyne’s offense began to heat up with two unanswered goals from senior attacker Mike Rabbitt (Simsbury, Conn.) and sophomore midfielder Taylor Brooks (Cypress, Texas) with 34 seconds to play in the first quarter.

C.W. Post scored the final goal of the first quarter when senior midfielder Mike Cama (Levittown, N.Y.) grabbed the ground ball on the following faceoff and rushed in to score with 30 seconds remaining.

The comfort level that the Pioneers were feeling with a two-goal lead would not last long as the Dolphins took control of the tempo in the game and outscored the visitors, 5-0, in the second quarter to head for the locker room with an 8-5 lead. Harmatuk led the way with a pair of goals for the Dolphins.

The Dolphins outshot the Pioneers, 17-14, in the half. C.W. Post was charged with eight turnovers compared to Le Moyne’s four.

In the third quarter, C.W. Post’s offense reemerged and scored four unmatched goals, including two from Meo, as well as freshman attacker Justin Patterson (Corning, N.Y.) and junior attacker Nick Coric (Walnut Creek, Calif.) to reclaim the lead, 9-8, heading into the fourth.

The fourth quarter was highlighted by Plompen who registered a hat-trick, including the game’s final goal with 3:10 on the clock on a pass from Coric. Junior midfielder Mike Messina (Sayville, N.Y.) added a goal and Rodriguez scored his third goal of the game.

Both teams were even in shots with 32 apiece but the Pioneers held a 36-17 advantage in ground balls. In addition, C.W. Post was 13-for-14 on clears compared to Le Moyne’s 8-for-12.

Plompen closed out the game with four goals and assist to lead all players with five points while Rodriguez and Meo each added three goals. Senior defender Bryan Leonard (Yorktown, N.Y.) helped led the defense with two caused turnovers and picked up three ground balls.

Cama was 15-for-26 on face-offs in the game.

Junior goalkeeper Mike Giordano (Farmingdale, N.Y.) made five saves in goal to improve his record to 7-0 this season.

Harmatuk led the Dolphins with three goals with an assist and junior attacker Vinnie Alexander (Syracuse, N.Y.) added two in the game.

– Courtesy LIU-CWP Athletics

Sophomore Erica Devito and junior Kaitlyn Carter each tallied five goals apiece to lead the Panthers.

Adelphi took a commanding 7-2 lead in the first half which began with Carter scoring on an assist from junior Elizabeth Fey at 28:39. The Golden Rams knotted the score at 24:18 as Erin Oczkowski found the back of the net on an assist from Shannon Hayes. Fey put the Panthers up again on a feed from sophomore Claire Petersen, but Lauren Glassey tied it on a free position goal, she had three in the game, at 17:47. But that would prove to be the last goal for WCU before the break, as stellar Panther defense teamed up with senior goalkeeper Caitlin Fitzpatrick, who tallied nine saves in the first half.

Adelphi did struggle in transition, only clearing 11 of 17 attempts in the first stanza, while committing 13 turnovers. But the offense remained strong, as the Panthers closed out the last 17:30 on a 4-0 run. Sophomore Marissa Mills netted the first of her three goals on a free position shot, followed by freshman Demmianne Cook adding her own 8-meter shot to make it 5-2. Fey scored her second goal on an assist from Petersen, while Carter had the last word on an unassisted shot following a fast break to give the Panthers a five-point cushion at intermission.

The rally continued in the second half as Carter paired up with Devito at 26:02 to make it 8-2. Devito added back to back goals, one on a free position and the second on a dish from Alison Incarnato at 23:32. Held scoreless for the last 30 minutes, the Golden Rams managed back to back free position goals to make it 10-4, at 18:14. Mills recorded her third goal at 17:43, but West Chester went on a 3-0 run, including two more free position goals to close the gap, 11-6, with 14:27 left to go. But that would be as close as they would get, as Adelphi closed on a 6-0 tear. Devito accounted for three of those goals, with Carter having the last word on an unassisted shot with 1:46 left in regulation.

The Golden Rams held an 11-4 draw control advantage in the second half, but it was strong defensive play by the Panthers that forced 12 turnovers. Cook led the way with three caused turnovers along with two ground balls in the contest, while graduate student Jackie Bogensberger and sophomore Courtney Acker scooped up three ground balls a piece while causing two turnovers. Adelphi also improved to clear 14 of 16 attempts in the second half.

Fitzpatrick, who was selected to the All-Tournament Team, finished with 14 saves. MacKenzie O’Keefe made four stops for West Chester.

Fey, who finished with three goals and one assist, was named Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament. Over the three-game tournament, she tallied seven goals, seven assists, three ground balls and three draw controls.

Joining Fitpatrick and Fey on the All-Tournament team, are Devito, Carter and senior Holly Burke.

The Panthers have defeated the Golden Rams in all three NCAA Championship meetings, including 2004 and 2006. They improve their overall NCAA record to 9-2 in six appearances.

– Courtesy Adelphi Athletics

Harmatuk got the Dolphins to within 7-6 just 43 seconds into the final quarter by using an inside roll and beating the goalkeeper with a bounce shot from 10 yards out. Following almost 13 minutes of scoreless action, Cerar scored into an open goal off a pass from Loftus. The Dolphins won the ensuing face-off and ran the ball into the offensive zone before calling a timeout. Right after play was resumed, Harmatuk scored on the crease off a pass from sophomore midfielder Matt Chadderdon. After causing a turnover following the face-off, the Dolphins called a timeout after getting the ball into the box. Venditti put a shot wide with 14 seconds remaining before Harmatuk had a shot saved with only four seconds remaining.

Le Moyne (16-1), which defeated C.W. Post, 6-5, on March 21st in the Carrier Dome, was making its fourth consecutive appearance in the National Championship game. The senior class closes its career with a record of 64-5 and two national championships. The 64 wins marks the highest total by a class in Le Moyne history.

FULL STORY

–Courtesy LeMoyne Athletics

The Panthers prevailed in a one-sided game by a score of 16-4 and made their mark in the NCAA record books. With the win, the women capped off an untarnished record of 18-0 and came out as national champions, the third in school history and the first team to ever win as many in NCAA history.

Additionally, the 12 advantage is the largest margin of victory ever in an NCAA final. Senior Rachel Ray had six points (2g, 4a) on the day to bring her playoff total to 12 assists, an NCAA Tournament record.

–Courtesy Adelphi

The championship provides for a four-team tournament. One team from each of the three regions (North, Central and South) and one at-large team from any region were selected to participate in the men’s lacrosse championship. Teams selected from the same region were paired for semifinal competition. Semifinal competition is scheduled for Saturday, May 16.

The semifinal sites and team matchups are as follows:

North Region: *Le Moyne (15-0) vs. Merrimack (14-2)
Central/South Regions: Limestone (10-3) vs. *C.W. Post (13-1)
Note: * Denotes host institution.

This year’s semifinal winners will advance to the final, which will be contested at 3 p.m. Eastern time, May 24, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and televised live by CBS College Sports Network. That game will be preceded by the Division III championship at noon Eastern time, also at Gillette Stadium and televised on CBS College Sports Network. The Division I semifinals and championship are May 23 and 25 at the same site.

In the 2008 Division II championship, New York Institute of Technology defeated Le Moyne College 16-11 in front of a record crowd at Gillette Stadium.

–Courtesy NCAA.com

The championship provides for a six-team tournament. Two first-round games will be conducted May 9 at campus sites. Winners of the first round games will advance to the semifinals to play the number one seeded teams and final, to be played May 16-17 at Donald J. Kerr Stadium at Roanoke College, Salem, Virginia. The Old Dominion Athletic Conference and the City of Salem will serve as hosts for the championship.

From the north region, the number three seed the University of New Haven will play the number two seed C.W. Post Campus/Long Island University, host. The winner will advance to play the number one seed from the north region, Adelphi University. From the south region the number three seed Mercyhurst College will play the number two seed Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, host. The winner will advance to play the number one seed from the south region, Limestone College.

–Courtesy NCAA.com

LeMoyne would cut the Bears lead to 12-11 on Alex Billy’s goal one minute into the fourth quarter, but the Bears stopped any hope of a LeMoyne comeback, closing out the game with four unanswered goals. Matt Messina found a cutting Austin Carino in-front of the net for a man-up goal with 8:48 left to play and Ryan Amengual made another impressive move from behind the cage, beating his defender and scoring unassisted to give NYIT a 14-11 lead with just over seven minutes left to play. The Bears defense limited LeMoyne’s scoring opportunities and when they did get a good shot off, junior Chris Powers was there to make the save. Powers registered seven saves in the second half. Amengual gave the Bears some breathing room with his third of the game at the 1:46 mark and Flowers provided the final score, netting his second of the day with five seconds remaining.

Messina finished the game with two goals and a game-high three assists, and Carino and Amengual each added three goals in the victory. Powers, who set the tone early in net for the Bears with some big saves, stopped 11 of the Dolphins shots.

Notes…The Dolphins had not allowed more than seven goals in a game all season before today. NYIT’s man-up offense was stellar against the top defensive team in the country, scoring on four of their seven opportunities. NYIT took advantage of LeMoyne’s defense in one-one situations as 11 of the Bears 16 goals were unassisted. Henderson finished the season with 62 goals, just one shy of the all-time single season record of 63 set by Rob Grella in 1993.

FULL STORY

–Courtesy NYIT Athletics

For the second time in the last seven years, West Chester has claimed the NCAA Division II Women’s Lacrosse championship with a convincing 13-12 victory over C.W. Post at Memorial Park on Saturday afternoon.

The Golden Rams (20-1) ended four straight years of a “second-best” title with their first win over the Pioneers (17-2) in the NCAA Tournament. West Chester set a new school record for wins in a single season in the process.

For senior Steph Kienle, it was especially pleasing to end her illustrious career in such a fitting manner. The WCU graduate posted a hat trick and one assist, finishing the 2008 season with an NCAA-record 143 points, breaking her own single-season record set a year ago.

FULL STORY

–excerpt courtesy WCU Sports Information

Coe and her Tars teammates will return home with a pair of new accomplishments to add to the storied tradition at the Winter Park, Florida institution.

The freshman from Mays Landing, N.J. retained her lead through the first 54 holes to become the fourth national champion medalist and third-different in school history. Coe ended the tournament with a four-stroke victory and 72-hole total of one under, 287 (71-73-68-75).

Rollins, who will graduate three seniors, rallied from a seven-stroke deficit entering Thursday’s third round to move in a tie with Nova Southeastern as the field entered Friday’s final day. The Tars carried the momentum into the final round for a seven-stroke victory over the Sharks, shooting an 1181 (293-301-293-294). Grand Valley State finished third with a 1221 (314-296-308-303), Ferris State was fourth by three strokes with a 1239 (296-308-320-315) and Tarleton State was fifth with a 1242 (313-310-310-309).

With the victory, a member of the South Region has won the last nine team championships. For Rollins, it is their fifth title in the last six years and Coe is its fourth champion in the last seven years.

FULL STORY

–excerpt courtesy NCAA

The championship provides for a four-team tournament. One team from each of the three regions (North, Central and South) and one at-large team from any region were selected to participate in the men’s lacrosse championship. Teams selected from the same region were paired for semifinal competition. Semifinal competition is scheduled for Saturday, May 17, or Sunday, May 18.

The semifinal sites and team matchups are as follows:
North Region: *Le Moyne (14-1) vs. Bryant (14-3)
Central/South Regions: *NYIT (11-1) vs. Limestone (14-1)
Note: * Denotes host institution.

This year’s semifinal winners will advance to the final, which will be contested at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time, May 25, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and televised live by CBS College Sports Network. That game will be preceded by the Division III championship at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time, also at Gillette Stadium and televised on CBS College Sports Network. The Division I semifinals and championship are May 24 and 26 at the same site.

In the 2007 championship, Le Moyne College defeated Mercyhurst College 6-5 for its third Division II national title in four years.

–Courtesy NCAASports.com