Pioneers Fall to Mount St. Mary's, 6-5, in NEC Tournament
4/30/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
April 30, 2004
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ (April 30, 2004) - Kristen Gealy (Fallston, Md./Fallston) scored the game-winning goal with 1:47 remaining to lift top-seeded Mount St. Mary's past No. 4 Sacred Heart, 6-5 in the Northeast Conference (NEC) women's lacrosse semifinals on Friday.
After the Pioneers (10-7) rallied from a 5-1 deficit to tie the game up in the second half, Gealy came from behind the cage to find the twine, helping the Mount (13-4) advance to its second-straight NEC championship game. Jackie Reichert and Jeanne Carroll led Sacred Heart with two markers apiece. Reichert notched the game-tying goal at the 48:21 mark while Amy Lavoie, a second-team All-NEC selection, kept her squad in the contest with 10 saves.
After Reichert tied the game at five, the Pioneers had two free position shots turned away and Reichert registered the squad's last shot in the 52nd minute that went wide to the right. Mount St. Mary's had trouble during this stretch getting into the offensive zone, committing four turnovers.
Gealy came through in the clutch to score for the sixth time this season. Leeann Robustelli (Downingtown, Pa./Bishop Shanahan), a second-team All-NEC honoree, recorded an inception with 48 seconds remaining before grabbing the final ground ball of the afternoon with 20 ticks on the clock to preserve the victory.
The contest did not look like it would go down to the wire from the start as the Mount stormed out to a 3-0 advantage in the first 8:37 of the contest. Kelsey Withrow (Mariottsville, Md./Libery) posted her second goal of the year off a feed from LaMotte at 5:02. Kim Keene (Baltimore, Md./Seton Keough) scored off a pass by DiAngelo 1:04 later before DiAngelo found the back of the net at the 8:37 mark. The Pioneers halted the surge when Reichert recorded a marker at 21:01.
Mount St. Mary's answered 28 seconds later when Simmons hooked up with Addie Lewis (Kent Island, Md./St. Mary's). The squad then increased the margin to 5-1 after Simmons bounced one into the netting at 25:09. Sacred Heart stopped the run at the 25:19 on a Carroll goal, but the Mount went into the intermission with a 5-2 edge.
After the break, Natalie Smith converted her 8-meter shot at 39:37 before Carroll scored off a feed from Maureen Hohn at the 46:12 mark to cut the margin to 5-4. Reichert then knotted the game at 5-5 on a free-position goal 2:09 later to create the late game dramatics.
The Pioneers end the season 10-7 overall while the Mount advances to their second-straight NEC final set for Sunday afternoon at 12 noon versus the winner of the Monmouth/Quinnipiac match-up.
Box Score: 1 2 F Sacred Heart (10-7) 2 3 5 Mt. St. Mary's (13-4) 5 1 6 Scoring: SHU - Reichert (2), Carroll (2), Smith MSM - Simmons, D'Angelo, Keene, Withrow, Lewis, Gealy Assists: SHU - Hohn MSM - D'Angelo, LaMotte, Simmons Goaltending: SHU -Lavoie, 10 saves; MSM - Campano, 6 saves Shots: SHU - 14; MSM - 20 Ground Balls: SHU - 20; MSM - 27XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
