Rachel Hanley made 21 saves and Stacie Brown scored four goals as Drew upset #10 Catholic, 11-8, at Ranger Stadium on Saturday. The Rangers clinched the Landmark Conference regular season title with the stunning win under the blazing sun. Hanley's career day helped Drew make its 6-0 early lead stand through constant pressure from the Cardinals. Drew now has home field advantage throughout the Landmark playoffs which begin on Wednesday. Mary Swarthout had four goals for the Cardinals. Drew improves to 9-6, 5-0 in the Landmark Conference. Catholic is now 13-3, 4-1.

The only things hotter than the Ranger Stadium turf at the noon time start were the Rangers themselves. Rachel Hanley set the tone early as she denied the first two Catholic shooting opportunities with point blank saves. When the Rangers were finally able to get down into the Cardinals half, they scored instantly. Lyndsay Rossi snuck behind Sloane Coles at the top of the eight meters to get some space that she used to fire home passed the Cardinal keeper for a 1-0 lead.

Cara Jeffries made it 2-0 after Lyndsay Rossi had gotten the Rangers' possession with a ground ball. Jeffries drew her defender out and then beat her with a spin move and speed before finishing low.

The third goal was all Stacie Brown. Brown and Catholic's Kate Robinson are, most likely, the top two contenders for Landmark Conference Player of the Year. Brown's goal was one for the resume. She grabbed the draw control, drew a foul and then completed a weaving run through the Cardinal defense by absorbing a couple of checks and finishing well into the side of the net.

After Hanley came up with two more big saves including a point blank stop of Robinson after the draw, the Rangers made it 4-0 through Rossi. Like Brown, she was matched up with her main competition for a Landmark award as she and Catholic's Mary Swarthout are the two more prolific rookies in the conference. Rossi had a great game, scoring her second with 12 minutes gone for a 4-0 lead. After a nice run, Rossi switched to her left to finish. She would finish the game with three goals, six ground balls and three caused turnovers.

Again Hanley saves would allow the Rangers to extend their lead. She stoned Robinson on a free position attempt and then stopped Katie Buonpastore a minute later. A perfect shot from Brown gave Drew the 5-0 lead. She took a Coles pass and came off a corner while ducking a check, her left handed shot painted the upper 90 for her second goal of the game.

Her third came pretty quickly. A classic Brown goal, the sophomore grabbed the draw control, survived four Cardinal defenders' hack and finished low for the 6-0 lead.

The Cardinals would show why they are ranked 10th in the country over the next 90 seconds. Kate Robinson scored off Kate Narzikul's feed before Narzikul scored her own with 9:30 left. Immediately following that draw Mary Swarthout made it 6-3.

Drew has made a habit of allowing big runs in the middle of games, but this time they responded. Brown gave it the old shake and bake from eight meters out to stop the Catholic run and make it 7-3. After Sloane Coles won the next draw, Rebecca Schild scored a terrific or lucky goal. Schild received a pass 12 meters out, but kind of dropped it. Her first touch was a field hockey-esque move to the side and then a nutmeg of her defender before she picked it up again. Schild has, arguably, the best shot on the team, so from five meters out it was a lay-up and 8-3. Kate Robinson made it 8-4 with a free position shot before the half ended.

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2009-04-26