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WEST CHESTER, PA –
Keri Barnett (Glenolden, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) scored six goals and finished with nine points while
Sydney Wasdick (Pottsgrove, Pa./Pottsgrove) hauled in 11 draw controls as second-ranked West Chester advanced to the Atlantic Region Final with a 17-11 victory over No. 23 Limestone in the NCAA Division II Women's Lacrosse Tournament at sun-splashed Vonnie Gros Field Saturday afternoon.
West Chester (19-0) advances to the region final for the sixth consecutive season and will face Slippery Rock (17-2) next Saturday at 3 p.m. at Vonnie Gros Field on South Campus.
"I though it was a great battle all around," West Chester head coach
Ginny Martino said afterwards. "Limestone put a lot of heart and soul into this game and it showed. At the half, they could have just given up, but they clearly made some adjustments. It has always been good competition between us."
"We have had some great battles with them over the years, and we have a mutual respect for one another," Tucker said about the West Chester-Limestone rivalry that was forged in the mid 2000's when both met six times in the NCAA Tournament. "Today wasn't the outcome we wanted. But, we wish them the best moving forward in the tournament."
West Chester controlled the possession time for the majority of the first half thanks in large part to Wasdick's performance around the faceoff circle. Her 11 draw controls is tied for fifth all-time in a single game at West Chester. The Golden Rams yielded just nine shots in the first 30 minutes and held a 10-4 advantage at the break. A 12-6 advantage in ground balls also helped with the possessions.
"We knew it would be a tough game," Limestone senior attacker Joscelin Martin said. "I think we stuck together throughout the game though. It wasn't the outcome we wanted, but I think we fought hard."
"Defensively, we were battling," sophomore defender Leah Rycroft added.
Limestone opened the game with two of the first three goals of the campaign. Keira Martin drew first blood just over two minutes in, and Deirdre Jones put the Saints back on top with 9:26 to play in the first after West Chester's
Madeline Edinger (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) had evened things up just 20 seconds after Martin's opener.
Lila McMahon Skates (West Linn, Ore./West Linn) tied things up again almost one minute later, and then Barnett registered a natural hat trick with three straight goals over the next four minutes that gave the Golden Rams a 5-2 edge that it would not relinquish the rest of the way. McMahon Skates finished the day with two goals and three assists for a five-point afternoon. Edinger added a pair of goals and one assist.
"The feeds from Skates, instead of driving down the middle, were clutch," Barnett said afterwards. "We just had to be patient with our shots."
Defensively, sophomore goalkeeper
Hannah Cornelius (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) stopped a career-best nine shots and backstopped West Chester to the win. Her effort was not lost on senior defender
Kendall DiCamillo (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) or head coach
Ginny Martino.
"Her breakout game was the PSAC Championship Game," DiCamillo revealed. "And, her confidence has soared the last couple of games. She is killing it right now. I'm really excited for her. She has worked hard with (goalie coach) Jess Gorr all season and the work is starting to pay off."
"(Cornelius) played lights-out," Martino added. "I thought we got a great effort from her today."
Kendall Fortune (Jarrettsville, Md./North Harford) enjoyed a career day with five tallies on the afternoon.
Audrey Miller (Sinking Springs, Pa./Wilson) also added a pair of goals.
Limestone goalie Emma McCoy made eight saves for the Saints, who saw both their season and program end with the loss following Limestone University's announcement that it is closing its doors at the end of the semester.
"I have always had much respect for Scott," Martino said. "I love coaching against him because he always comes up with a great game plan, and he makes adjustments as the game goes on."
Martino and Tucker, who both have been coaching Division II women's lacrosse for more than 25 years, are the two winningest coaches at the DII level in the sport.
