2011 NCAA Game Notes
WEST CHESTER, Pa. - Sixth-ranked West Chester University makes its ninth NCAA Division II Women's Lacrosse Tournament appearance Saturday afternoon when the Golden Rams travel to fourth-ranked Lock Haven University for a 12 p.m. faceoff with the Lady Eagles at Charlotte E. Smith Field.
West Chester University (15-4) is making its record ninth appearance in the NCAA Division II Women’s Lacrosse Tournament, equaling that of C.W. Post, who was left out of the big dance this time around. The Golden Rams are 11-6 all-time in the NCAAs with a pair of national championships to show for their efforts (2002, 2008). West Chester’s 11 victories in the NCAAs is the most by any program since the tournament’s inception in 2001.
The Golden Rams earned a berth in this year’s tournament by virtue of its ranking of third in the NCAA South Region. The top three ranked schools from each of the two regions qualifies for the NCAAs. The top ranked schools in each region receive a first-round bye and automatically advance to the national semifinals. Limestone and defending champion Adelphi are the top-ranked schools, who have already advanced to the final four. Adelphi will also serve as host of the semifinals and finals on May 21-22 in Garden City, N.Y. on Long Island.
Saturday's quarterfinal matchup is one of two taking place this weekend. In the North, LeMoyne will travel to Dowling for a 7 p.m. start on Saturday night in the other quarterfinal. The West Chester-Lock Haven winner will advance to play Limestone in one national semifinal while the LeMoyne-Dowling winner will advance to play Adelphi in the other semifinal. The championship game will take place on Sunday, May 22 at 12 p.m.
West Chester University has not lost an NCAA Tournament gmae in either the quarterfinal round or the semifinals. The Golden Rams are a combined 9-0 in those two rounds, which means WCU has reached the national championship game in each of its previous eight tournament appearances. West Chester is 2-6 in the national championship game.
West Chester will meet fellow PSAC rival Lock Haven in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year and the fourth time overall. The Golden Rams and Lady Eagles have met twice already in 2011, and this weekend’s tilt will be the 53rd overall in the long history of both programs. West Chester is 46-6 against Lock Haven all-time and 4-0 in the NCAA Tournament. These two schools just squared off on April 30 for the PSAC Championship, and in fact, have played against one another for the conference crown in each of the past six years with West Chester winning three and Lock Haven winning three.
No. 4 Lock Haven (16-2) is coming off its third straight PSAC championship and is making its fourth NCAA appearance in the last five years. The Lady Eagles placed six players on the All-PSAC squad, including a trio of Lady Eagles who earned a spot on the first team.
Allison Berger, Katie Zichelli and Heather Sacko were all first team selections. Kayleigh Johnson and Jessica Pandolf both earned spots on the second team while Jamie Uzialko earned a spot on the third team. Pandolf was also named PSAC freshman of the year.
Berger has been the leader to Lock Haven’s explosive offense all year long. Her 84 points lead the team and are ranked second in the PSAC. Berger has 34 goals and 50 assists. She was named the MVP of the PSAC Tournament, after her 13 points in two games. Zichelli leads the Haven’s defensive unit that has been spectacular all season and is a huge reason behind LHU’s 16-2 record. She has 62 caused turnovers and 82 ground balls, both of which lead the PSAC and NCAA. She averages 3.5 caused turnovers per game. Sacko has been a wall in the cage for LHU. That has never been more evident in the final minute of play in the PSAC Championship Game as she made a pair of point-blank stops to seal the win. She is 15-2 overall with a 6.49 goals-against-average and a .500 save-percentage.
Johnson has been a huge threat on offense for LHU. She has 18 goals to along with 50 assists. She’s averaging 2.78 assists per game, which is seventh in the nation. Pandolf has made an impact in Lock Haven’s midfield since the first whistle of the season. The speedy-freshman has 35 goals, to go along with a conference-best 65 draw controls. Her 35 goals are second on the team. Uzialko owns a team-high 42 goals as she ends her career in style. Her 42 goals rank eighth in PSAC and she’s ranked 44th in the nation.
West Chester University likes to refer to its lacrosse team as family. That is not unusual for athletic programs across the country in any sport. But, for West Chester’s women’s lacrosse team, it has a more special meaning. Senior attacker Kelsey McGoldrick is the third member of her family to don the purple & gold of West Chester University. Her older sister Kirsten McGoldrick also played lacrosse at West Chester from 2002-05 while their mother, Nancy Wakefield McGoldrick played lacrosse at West Chester from 1976-79.
However, what makes this story so special is that all three McGoldrick’s helped West Chester University win a national championship during their playing careers. Nancy Wakefield was a senior, and the team’s leading scorer, in 1979 when West Chester defeated Ursinus, 8-4, in the national championship game of the USWILCA national invitational tournament. In 2002, Kirsten McGoldrick was a freshman on West Chester’s first NCAA national championship squad. Kelsey McGoldrick was a freshman on West Chester’s second NCAA national championship in 2008.
Nancy Wakefield McGoldrick currently coaches high school women’s lacrosse at her alma mater of Haverford High School. Kirsten McGoldrick Sheehan is currently helping out her mother at Haverford as an assistant coach with the varsity team.
West Chester University has relied on its Jersey players to provide much of the leadership and scoring during its recent success over the past decade. That dependency has not been more prevelent than in the last four years as seniors Claire Grimwood and Shannon Hayes have terrorized the PSAC with their scoring touch. Grimwood has piled up 264 points and 179 goals during her four-year career. Her seven goals and four assists in the 2008 NCAA semifinals and finals earned her tournament MVP honors. Meanwhile, Hayes has racked up 215 career points and is also just one ground ball shy of 100.
Grimwood, a recruited midfield/attacker is the one responsible for convincing Hayes to come out for the team and walk-on as a freshman. Head coach Ginny Martino liked what she saw in Hayes and the rest as they say is history.
