GREENSBURG, PA – Sr.
Hannah Stanislawczyk (Mohnton, Pa./Gov. Mifflin) and Fr.,
Kendall Fortune (Jarrettsville, Md./North Harford) each scored three times while So.,
Amanda Wolfe (Kennett Square, Pa./Unionville) enjoyed a four-point afternoon as West Chester advanced to the championship game of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Women's Lacrosse Tournament with a 14-6 victory over Slippery Rock Friday.
West Chester (18-0) trailed 3-1 after the first quarter and found itself knotted at 5-all at the half. However, a six-goal outburst in the third quarter, and just one goal allowed in the second half, propelled the Golden Rams to victory over Slippery Rock (15-4) which was making its first conference semifinal appearance in school history.
"We played with a lot more consistency pressuring the ball," West Chester head coach
Ginny Martino said about her team's second-half defensive effort. "We got a little more aggressive and had a lot better anticipation across the board capitalizing on caused turnovers."
Slippery Rock was limited to just four shots after halftime, primarily due to its 17 turnovers. A 14-10 advantage in the game on draw controls was pretty much negated by the Golden Rams' prowess defensively in the final 30 minutes.
Kendall DiCamillo (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) paced the defense with seven ground balls and five caused turnovers. The Jersey Girls,
Gillian Peters (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West),
Grace Frasso (Cinnaminson, N.J./Cinnaminson) and
Natalie Goldsmith (Oceanport, N.J./Shore Regional) each contributed three caused turnovers.
Meanwhile, West Chester's offense began to heat up as the attack started to find the back of the net when shots started landing on cage. Stanislawczyk scored two of her three in the third quarter as the Golden Rams strung together 11 unanswered goals in all during a span that covered the final few minutes of the second quarter and extended into the fourth quarter.
"The big difference after halftime was getting our hands free on shots and our overall movement," Martino added. "I think we also did a much better job getting their goalkeeper to move with some fakes."
Piper Hammond (Tucson, Ariz./Southridge) finished with a pair of goals. Sr. Attacker,
Meg O'Donnell (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland) scored a goal and dished out a pair of assists.
Jessica Gorr (Exton, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) made nine saves in cage for West Chester.
The Golden Rams will face Kutztown University for the third time this year on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the PSAC Championship Game.
NOTES: West Chester advances to the PSAC Championship Game for the 32nd time in its history … the Golden Rams are 25-6 in the conference championship game … this marks West Chester's sixth consecutive season of reaching the final game … the Golden Rams are seeking back-to-back titles … West Chester is now 48-10 all-time in the PSAC Tournament … West Chester will play for its 26th conference crown on Mother's Day … head coach
Ginny Martino has won 15 PSAC titles in her tenure on the Golden Rams' sideline … Sr., M
Hannah Stanislawczyk now has 291 career goals … she is eight goals shy of the school record of 299 by Katelyn Martin
