FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Adelphi, Le Moyne to Meet in Title Game for Fourth Straight Year
The Panthers led from start to finish, while Le Moyne had to erase a four-goal deficit to advance to the 2018 Northeast-10 Conference Women's Lacrosse Championship Final. Here's how Saturday's Semifinals played out -
#1 Adelphi 17, #4 New Haven 6
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. - Top-seeded Adelphi will make its ninth consecutive appearance in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship on Sunday, after ousting #4 Merrimack in the semifinals on Saturday afternoon, 17-6.
Adelphi (18-1) got off to a hot start at Motamed Field, scoring the first four goals of the game. Michele Scannell, who finished with four goals and two draw controls notched the first two to get things going in the semifinal. With the help of three more goals throughout the remainder of the opener, the Panthers held a 7-2 advantage at halftime. The Warriors (14-5) were led by Amber Feminella, who was the first to break the silence for the visiting squad.
The second half opened with four unanswered tallies from the home team, starting with Scannell but capped with three straight from Kole Pollock. Pollock was responsible for a lead-high six points behind five goals and one assist.
Merrimack, trailing by nine, put back-to-backs shots past Emma Lemanski, scoring four of six in a matter of nine minutes. Lemanski ended the contest with 10 saves, picking up seven in the second half alone due to offensive pressure from the visitors. Christina Ferrara netted her second of the game to begin a four-goal spurt, with all goals assisted by Alison Johnson down the stretch. Lena Riportella scored the final strike of the afternoon with under a minute to play, to help Adelphi advance to the finals once again.
The team will battle #2 Le Moyne in the NE10 Championship game tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. This is the sixth time since 2011 that these two teams will meet up in the finals, and the fourth consecutive year.
#2 Le Moyne 17, #3 Pace 11
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – For the fourth straight year, and eighth in the last nine overall, Le Moyne will play for a Northeast-10 Women's Lacrosse title. The second-seeded Dolphins overcame an early deficit to defeat third-seeded Pace on Saturday afternoon at Adelphi's Motamed Field.
The Setters were sharp early on, jumping out to a 5-1 lead over the first eight minutes of the contest. Emily Ankabrandt put in three of those tallies, while Abby Haimson and Casey Gelderman also found the back of the net.
The Dolphins answered back with three straight goals to cut the lead to just one at the 17:55 mark. Following the two big spurts, Pace and Le Moyne would exchange three goals apiece to end the half. Gelderman put in the final tally of the half with a little over two minutes remaining to send the Setters into the break ahead 8-7.
Momentum shifted dramatically in the second 30 minutes as Le Moyne started to capture more and more draw controls (10-4 edge in the second half). The Dolphins registered the first three goals of the second half to take their first lead of the game at 9-8, and then 10-8.
The Dolphins would go on two more separate 3-0 stretches in the second half to take full control. A tally from Brittney Pollack yielded a 13-9 edge for Le Moyne while a Bryanna Fazio goal provided a 16-10 lead. On the other side of the ball, Dolphins' goalkeeper, Hannah George, posted six saves in the second half and finished with 14 overall.
The Setters, who had earned their first-ever NE10 playoff win earlier this week against Bentley, cap off the year at 14-5 overall, which marks their most wins and best winning percentage in program history.
2018 NE10 Women's Lacrosse Championship Schedule
Wednesday, May 2nd
Quarterfinals
Game 1: #1 Adelphi 21, #8 Assumption 10
Game 2: #2 Le Moyne 18, #7 Saint Anselm 1
Game 3: #3 Pace 18, #6 Bentley 10
Game 4: #4 Merrimack 14, #5 New Haven 10
Saturday, May 5th
Semifinals (Final four at Adelphi)
Game 5: #1 Adelphi 17, #4 Merrimack 6
Game 6: #2 Le Moyne 17, #3 Pace 11
Sunday, May 6th
Championship
Game 7: #1 Adelphi vs. #2 Le Moyne | 1:00pm
- Information for this release provided by the athletic communications staffs at Adelphi and Pace
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 15 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 student-athletes compete in conference championships, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.