Close Call: Union Fends Off Rowan
from press releases
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - Sophomore goaltender Cat
Ruggiero (Hungtington, NY/Huntington) made 10 saves, leading the
Union women's lacrosse team to a 8-7 victory in the first round of
the 2009 NCAA Tournament. The Dutchwomen advance to face Franklin
& Marshall (17-1) on Saturday, May 9 at 11:30 a.m. on the
Diplomats home field.
Union, which improves to 15-3 overall, advances to the second round
of the national tournament for the second consecutive year. Rowan's
season concludes with an 8-9 record.
With Union ahead 8-7 with just nine seconds remaining, Ruggiero
denied a free position shot allowing her team to advance to the
second round.
The Dutchwomen took control of the game when junior attack Jill
LaForest (Acton,MA/Acton-Boxborough) put Union ahead for good with
two seconds remaining in the first half. A balance attack on
offense and defense in the second allowed Union to control the lead
the rest of the way
Union was led by two goals and an assist from sophomore attack
Chelsea Charette (South Hadley, MA/South Hadley) and a goal and an
assist from both sophomore attack Kristin Joyce (Longmeadow,
MA/Longmeadow) and sophomore attack Casey Danni (Rye, NY/Rye).
The three-headed attack of junior Alayna Morris (Columbus,
NJ/Northern Burlington Regional), senior Lauren Crennan (Pottstown,
PA/Owen J. Roberts) and junior Tori Hart (Mt. Laurel, NJ/Lenape)
led Rowen with two goals each.
Ruggiero earned her 13th victory of the season, while Rowen senior
Alicia Mannino (Richboro, PA/Conwell-Egan Catholic) made nine
stops.
The Dutchwomen controlled the shots (23-19) and groundballs
(20-19), but the Profs won the draw control battle (13-4).
The scoring of the closely contested first half began only 51
seconds Crennan netted her 26th goal of the season. Moments later
at 26:59, Charette tied it up with a free position goal.
The back-and-forth battle continued as the two team's exchanged
goal. First, Hart scored at 21:32 and Union's junior midfield Allie
Cuozzo (Norfolk, MA/King Phillip Regional) retied the score at
20:53 on a pass from Joyce.
The Profs regained control 20 seconds later when leading scorer
Kelly Angstadt (Sewell, NJ/Washington Twp.) potted her 30th goal of
the season.
The Dutchwomen responded with goals from sophomore attack Abby
Stohler (West Hartford, CT/Conard) at 18:41 and junior midfield
Keelin Skurek (Massillon, OH/Western Reserve Academy), giving Union
its first lead of the day.
Morris tied things up (4-4) on a free position with 2:55 remaining,
but LaForest scored with just two ticks remaining from
sophomore attack Casey Dianni (Rye, NY/Rye), giving Union a 5-4
halftime lead.
Dianni added her name to the score sheet 1:20 into the second with
her ninth goal of the season, moving the score to 6-4. However, the
visitors had a response 33 seconds later when Morris tallied her
second of the game.
A point-blank stop by Ruggiero on Crennan kept Union ahead at
19:36, but a nifty move by Morris evened the score at 18:42 after a
lengthy Roven possession.
After Union failed to convert on the ensuing attempt, Reggiero was
once again up to the task, making a save from six feet out. The
Dutchwomen flipped the field, allowing Charette to sneak one
through the legs of Mannino at 14:43.
Joyce gave Union its third two-goal lead of the game at 8:37, but
the Profs pulled within one (8-7) at 7:25 when Hart found the twine
and produced the final result.
