Two for II: Adelphi Becomes First Repeat Champ
by Adrian Martin | Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online | Game Blog
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Erica Devito scored five goals Sunday in Adelphi's 17-7 victory over West Chester in the NCAA Division II championship game. © Brendan Bush |
GETTYSBURG, Pa. -- The Adelphi women's lacrosse team proved why it was reigning champions of NCAA Division II women’s lacrosse Sunday, winning its second straight championship with a convincing 17-7 victory over West Chester in the championship game at Gettysburg College’s Clark Field.
The Panthers have won four championships since 2004, the most in
Division II women’s lacrosse history, and are the first
repeat champions. It was also the team’s third time defeating
West Chester for the title.
“Last year, we never experienced a setback. We had an 18-0
season, so for us to suffer that loss earlier this season, it was a
positive thing,” Adelphi head coach Joe Spallina said,
referring to his team’s 21-16 regular-season defeat against
the squad it would defeat Saturday in the national semifinals, C.W.
Post. “We were able to go back to our old-school defense and
did some self-scouting. From day one, it was about us and doing
what we do, and it didn’t really matter what color the jersey
was on the other side of the field. Everyone gets knocked to the
floor, but how you get up defines who you are.”
The Panthers took control from the start, building a 7-2 halftime lead and containing a Golden Rams’ surge in the second half. Junior Kaitlyn Carter and sophomore Erica Devito scored five goals apiece to lead Adelphi, while junior Elizabeth Fey and sophomore Marissa Mills each added three.
West Chester freshman Lauren Glassey scored three goals for the runner-up.
“Our players are unbelievable,” Fey said. “We can pretty much score wherever we are. If we have the ball, an angle and an open shot, it’s going in the net.”
The Panthers never trailed in the contest, as Carter scored her first goal on a feed from Fey 1:21 into the game.
The Rams tied the game twice before the winners rattled off five consecutive goals from four different players for a 7-2 advantage. The last two in that stretch were scored just 13 seconds apart.
Adelphi stretched its lead to 10-2 with three more tallies to start the second half, two of which were provided by Devito.
The Rams came to life, scoring five of the next six goals
– four of them on free positions – to make it an 11-7
game. The rebound didn’t surprise anyone after West Chester
erased a late deficit with a 6-0 run to defeat Lock Haven in
overtime in Saturday's semifinals.
“I couldn’t be prouder of today, yesterday or the
entire season,” West Chester head coach Ginny Martino said.
“They fought for everything they got. You can’t count
‘em out. You never want to stand there and get that silver
trophy, but for this group that was gold.”
A flurry of goals from the Panthers ended the scare, however, and completed their path to ultimate glory.
That path wasn’t without its bumps, as West Chester led in nearly every offensive and defensive category. The difference was Adelphi goalkeeper Caitlin Fitzpatrick’s 14 saves.
“The one thing we talked about is that yesterday they came back from an 8-3 deficit, so we couldn’t let up,” Fitzpatrick said. “It was all the defense pushing them to the shots we wanted them to take. Our whole zone pushes them to the outside, so we know where the ball’s going to go every time.”
Another triumph in the books, the Panthers have even more incentive to three-peat, as they host the 2011 championships.
