Story Created:
May 17, 2008 at 1:58 PM EDT
Story Updated:
May 17, 2008 at 11:43 PM EDT
SALEM, Va. -- Hamilton College opened up a 10-5 lead in the second half and the Continentals held on for an 11-10 win against previously unbeaten Salisbury University in an
NCAA Division III championships tournament semifinal game at Roanoke College's Donald J. Kerr Stadium in Salem, Va., on May 17.
The historic win pushes nationally ranked No. 4 Hamilton (20-1 overall) into the College's first-ever national championship game on Sunday, May 18, at noon, where No. 3 Franklin & Marshall College will oppose the Continentals for the title. Franklin & Marshall (19-1) edged The College of New Jersey 14-12 in the afternoon's second semifinal.
The Diplomats handed Hamilton its only loss this year, a 14-13 decision in West Palm Beach, Fla., on March 19. The Continentals held a 13-10 lead in that game with less than five minutes left in regulation.
Hamilton fans who cannot make it to Virginia have a variety of ways to follow the action. The game will be televised live on CBS College Sports Network (Time Warner digital cable channel 242), while Bob Healy and T.J. Davis will have the radio call in the Mohawk Valley on WHCL 88.7 FM. An
audio webcast is also available, and the NCAA is sponsoring an
audio webcast and
live statistics of the championship game, as well.
The Continentals now own the longest current win streak in Division III women's lacrosse at 18 games. Top-ranked Salisbury ends its season with a record of 22-1.
Seven different players scored goals for Hamilton, which did not get credit for a single assist. Nicole Tetreault '08, Kaillie Briscoe '09, Jen McGowan '08 and Anne Graveley '11 notched two goals each. Liz Rave '10, Hilary Saverin '10 and Sarah Bray '11 all added one goal.
Kate Marek '09 paced the Continentals with two ground balls and two caused turnovers. Marek led all players with six draw controls. Kate Fowler '10 made six saves, several of which came on free-position opportunities for the Sea Gulls.
Hamilton led 7-4 at the half, but Salisbury cut its deficit to two on a goal with 19:34 left in regulation. The Continentals responded with three straight goals midway through the second half. Briscoe started the run on a hard shot with 12:54 remaining and Bray made the score 9-5 with 11:09 showing on the clock. Tetreault gave Hamilton a five-goal cushion with 9:37 left.
The Sea Gulls rallied, as any No. 1-ranked team would in that desperate situation. Salisbury tallied three goals in a row in a 2 minute, 3 second span and trailed 10-8 with 5:49 remaining.
The Continentals were reeling and needed a goal. After Hamilton head coach Patty Kloidt called timeout to settle down the offense, the ball came loose in front of the Sea Gulls' net. Saverin picked it up and fired a backhand shot that found the back of the net for her 19th goal this year and an 11-8 lead with 1:16 left.
Saverin's goal turned out to be the game-winner because Salisbury roared back one more time. The Sea Gulls, who entered the game with an average of more than 19 goals scored per contest, beat Fowler with 36 seconds remaining to make the score 11-9. Salisbury made it a one-goal game just 17 ticks later, which led to an important draw control.
Bray won the ensuing draw and was immediately fouled. However, the Continentals threw the ball out-of-bounds and the Sea Gulls had one last chance. Salisbury sailed a shot high of the goal with less than five seconds left and still had the ball with 3.2 seconds remaining. However, the Sea Gulls were unable to squeeze off another shot and Hamilton escaped with the win.
McGowan gave the Continentals an early 1-0 lead on a free-position shot 1:53 into the contest. Salisbury struck back with two quick goals in 52 seconds for a 2-1 advantage. Graveley tied the score at 4:01 of the first half, but the Sea Gulls came right back 24 seconds later for a 3-2 edge. That lead turned out to be the last for Salisbury.
Goals by Graveley and McGowan put Hamilton back on top before the Sea Gulls tied the score at 4-4 with 13:26 left before the break. The Continentals ended the half with a 3-0 run. Rave converted on a free-position chance for her 36th goal. Briscoe made the score 6-4 with the 162nd goal of her career. Tetreault then intercepted an errant pass by the Salisbury goalie and buried the ball into an open net with 6:22 remaining in the first half.
Hamilton has set program records for wins in one season (20) and consecutive victories (18) this year. The Sea Gulls and the Continentals had played once before -- in the 2000 NCAA quarterfinals -- and Salisbury won 18-15. The Sea Gulls reached the finals in 2007, but lost to Franklin & Marshall College.
Hamilton's NCAA tournament record improves to 6-3 in four appearances. The Continentals reached the quarterfinals in 2007. Kloidt is now 75-27 as Hamilton's coach and 101-60 overall.
Tetreault, a two-time Liberty League Player of the Year and 2007 All-American, is second on the team with 53 goals and 20 assists. Briscoe leads the team with 64 goals and holds the program record for points in a season with 103. McGowan improved her season totals to 41 goals and 52 points, which is good for third place on the squad. Graveley now has 13 goals this year.
Saverin scored the goal that gave the Continentals the lead for good at 7-6 against Middlebury College in the NCAA quarterfinals on May 11 as Hamilton went on to a 9-7 victory. Bray chipped in her 34th goal in her rookie season. Marek is tops on the team with 50 ground balls, 47 draw controls and 30 caused turnovers.
Salisbury -- the Capital Athletic Conference champions -- was making its ninth appearance in the tournament and the program's fifth trip to the national semifinals. The Sea Gulls have a 16-9 record in the championships, but have never won a title. Salisbury's overall record is 115-17 in the last seven seasons.
The Continentals held a 28-23 advantage in shots and were 6-for-11 on 8-meter shots. Meanwhile, the Sea Gulls were 0-for-5 on free-position opportunities.
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