HOUSTON, TX (May 17, 2008) – West Chester University captured its second national title in program history when it defeated C.W. Post, 13-12, in a tumultuous women's lacrosse match Saturday afternoon at Memorial Field. West Chester finishes with a final 19-1 overall record while C.W. Post finishes 17-2 overall. Freshman midfielder Claire Grimwood tallied seven points on four goals and three assists as the Golden Rams held off the Pioneers for the win.

The Pioneers scored first at 26:26 when sophomore midfielder Staci Passafiume (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) came around behind the net and shot it past Golden Ram goaltender Mary Beth Green. West Chester responded seconds later with a goal from Courtney Whiting from the right side with Grimwood assisting on the play. The Golden Rams took the lead 40 second later with their second goal, this time from Jackie Baker on a short pass from Grimwood.

C.W. Post evened the score at 23:51 when senior midfielder Mallory Poole (Corning, N.Y.) sling shot the ball into the net on a cross from junior attacker Jaclyn Napoli (West Islip, N.Y.). The Pioneers regained the lead at19:45 when senior attacker Jenna Miller (Silver Spring, Md.) came from behind the net to score an unassisted goal.

West Chester came back to add two more at 17:55 and 18 seconds later to take a 4-3 lead before the Pioneers added a free position goal from junior midfielder Samantha Lyons (Farmingdale, N.Y.) and an unassisted goal from Napoli to lead 5-4 with 14:49 left to play in the first half.

The Golden Rams proceeded to score three unanswered goals before junior midfielder Katie Hogan (Farmingdale, N.Y.) scored back-to-back goals that once again tied the game at 7-all with 10:28 left before the break. West Chester scored two additional goals at 7:30 and 5:57 before scoring the final goal of the half at the 47-second mark to lead 10-8 at halftime.

In the second half, West Chester's Stephanie Kienle scored in front of the net 54 seconds into the game. Sophomore midfielder Brianne Jackolski (Shirley, N.Y.) scored unassisted out front at 26:09 to cut West Chester's lead to 11-9. The Golden Rams cushioned their lead with goals from Grimwood and Kienle to lead 13-9 with 22:41 to play.

The Pioneer defense was able to keep the Golden Rams away from the net for the remainder of the game but the offense could not compensate the deficit. Jackolski scored her second goal of the game at 11:05 on a pass from Passafiume before freshman attacker Taryn Crimi (West Islip, N.Y.) scored a goal at 3:28. Poole scored the game's final tally with two seconds left on the clock as the Pioneers came up just short.

West Chester outshot C.W. Post, 30-26, and held a 20-7 advantage in draw controls. Green made nine saves in goal to preserve the win for the Golden Rams. Baker led all scorers with four goals and added an assist. Hogan led the Pioneers with three goals and an assist while Passafiume had one goal and two assists. Senior Lauren Scipione (East Meadow, N.Y.) made 10 saves in her final college game at C.W. Post.

Score by Period       1  2  Tot
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West Chester........ 10  3 - 13
C.W. Post...........  8  4 - 12
 
Attendance: 523
 
West Chester SCORING:
GOALS: Jackie Baker 4; Claire Grimwood 3; Stephanie Kienle 3;
       Gina DiDomenicis 2; Courtney Whiting 1.
ASSISTS: Claire Grimwood 4; Jackie Baker 1; Nicole Haines 1;
         Stephanie Kienle 1; Gabrielle Stitz 1.
 
C.W. Post SCORING:
GOALS: Hogan, Katie 3; Poole, Mallory 2; Jackolski, Brianne 2;
       Passafiume, Staci 1; Napoli, Jaclyn 1; Miller, Jenna 1;
       Lyons, Samantha 1; Crimi, Taryn 1.
ASSISTS: Passafiume, Staci 2; Hogan, Katie 1; Miller, Jenna 1;
         Napoli, Jaclyn 1.
 
SHOTS BY PERIOD       1  2  Tot
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West Chester........ 16 14 - 30
C.W. Post........... 17  9 - 26
 
GROUND BALLS BY PRD   1  2  Tot
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West Chester........ 11  5 - 16
C.W. Post........... 12 12 - 24
 
DRAW CONTROLS BY PRD  1  2  Tot
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West Chester........ 12  8 - 20
C.W. Post...........  7  0 -  7
 
FREE-POSITION SHOTS    1     2     Total
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West Chester........  0-0   0-2  -  0-2
C.W. Post...........  2-3   1-3  -  3-6
 
SAVES BY PERIOD       1  2  Tot
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West Chester........  6  3 -  9
C.W. Post...........  4  6 - 10
 
FOULS BY PERIOD       1  2  Tot
-------------------------------
West Chester........ 17 12 - 29
C.W. Post........... 15 25 - 40
 
TURNOVERS BY PRD      1  2  Tot
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West Chester........ 13 11 - 24
C.W. Post...........  9  8 - 17

2008-05-17