LHU Laxers Edged in NCAA Final
SALEM, Va. – The No. 5 Lock Haven University lacrosse team rallied midway through the second half to tie the game, but top-ranked Adelphi hung on for a 7-5 win the NCAA Division II Championship game Sunday afternoon.
It marked the second time in five seasons where Lock Haven (19-3) played in the national championship game. Both times LHU lost to Adelphi (22-0), who capped off a perfect 2014 season on its way to the Panthers’ sixth NCAA DII crown. The loss snapped a 17-game win streak for Lock Haven, who started the year 2-2 and needed all 17 wins to secure a spot in the NCAA tournament field and national title game.
The game proved to be a physical defensive battle until the end with both goalies keeping their teams in the game. Despite the loss, LHU head coach Kristen Selvage was proud of her teams’ effort and season. ”I’m proud of our team and how hard it fought,” said Selvage. “I thought our defense was great and it was a total team effort today. We fought for everything all season long.” Rachel Ward (Indianapolis/Bishop Chatard), who led all scorers in yesterday’s semifinal victory, netted a pair of goals today. Jessica Pandolf (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North),Kelly Hamilton (Warrington, Pa./Central Bucks South) and Jenna Dingler (Turnersville, N.J./Washington Township) also scored for the Lady Eagles. Senior Chelsea Borrino (Webster, N.Y./Webster Thomas) dished out a game-high three assists.
Pandolf added one helper. The three-assist effort capped a remarkable career for Borrino, who said postgame how special it was to end her career playing for the national title. ”It meant everything to me and it’s such a great feeling knowing we played our hearts out today for the championship,” said Borrino.
Haven goalie Chrissy Baffuto (Long Valley, N.J./West Morris Central) was nothing short of spectacular, making seven saves – her confidence growing with every stop as she kept Lock Haven in the game, particularly in the first half. Baffuto credited the exceptional defensive effort in front of her. ”Every save boosts your confidence and I felt comfortable today,” said Baffuto. “The defense played great in front of me so that gave me confidence as well.”
Defensively, Melinda Wojt (Telford, Pa./Souderton) led LHU with two caused turnovers and three ground balls. The Panthers led 2-0 at halftime thanks to goals from Jackie Jahelka and Alexa Froccaro. Jahelko broke the deadlock 11:53 in and with 4:47 left in the first half, Froccaro made it 2-0. Baffuto set the tone for Lock Haven early making five saves, all of which were brilliant point-blank stops.
Adelphi made it 3-0 less than four minutes into the second half thanks to a quick strike by Emily Keesling. With 23:37 left in the game, Ward put the Lady Eagles on the board after a perfect feed from Pandolf. Less than two minutes later Hamilton cut the Panther lead to one after a sensational individual effort.
Hamilton beat her defender to the right and fired a low shot far post that beat Adelphi goalie Taylor Hayes to make it 3-2. Adelphi and Lock Haven exchanged goals before Dingler tied the game at 4-4 on a quick strike. Borrino set up a cutting Dingler with a great feed from behind the net and Dingler sent the ball home in one motion as Hayes had no chance at stopping it.
The Panthers pushed the lead back to two goals, 6-4 with under 10 minutes to play. Pandolf got on the board, scoring for the 79th time this year – breaking the all-time LHU single season goal record. More importantly the goal made it 6-5 with 7:14 to play in the game. With 4:23 left in the contest, Rachel Aitkens gave the Panthers the insurance they needed and capped the game’s scoring – giving AU the 7-5 lead. Following the game, Baffuto, Borrino and Pandolf were named to the All-Tournament Team. The Lady Eagles finished the season at 19-3 overall.
Game Notes: This marked Lock Haven’s seventh all-time appearance in the NCAA Division II and fifth appearance in the Final Four … With the win over Lindenwood (10-9, OT) in yesterday’s semifinal, LHU improved to 4-6 all-time in NCAA postseason games … Lock Haven won the 1979 Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women National Championship, beating Hollins 5-4 … On Friday, four Lady Eagles – Chelsea Borrino, Jessica Pandolf, Lindsay Walbrandt and Kelly Hamilton were named All-American … The win marked Adelphi’s first national title since 2011 and sixth overall.
