BOSTON – Deb Dale (East Northport, N.Y.), Ashley Durepo (Concord, N.H.) and Shaunna Kaplan (Framingham, Mass.) recorded four points apiece and Sarah Von Bargen (East Setauket, N.Y.) recorded her 200th career point as the 17th-ranked University of New Hampshire women's lacrosse team defeated the University at Albany, 17-9, in an America East Championship semifinal game Thursday afternoon at Boston University's Nickerson Field.

UNH, in its league-record 12th consecutive tournament appearance, extended its winning streak to four games to improve to 12-6 overall. Albany, which had defeated the Wildcats in the regular season (16-15 in overtime at home), ends its season at 9-8.

Third-seeded New Hampshire advances to Saturday's championship game against top-seeded Boston University (14-3), a winner against the University of Vermont in the other semifinal. Game time at Nickerson Field is 1:00 p.m.

This will mark UNH's seventh appearance in an America East championship game – all against Boston University in the past eight years. The Wildcats won the 2004 title and finished as runner-up in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2008.

Dale finished with a career-high three assists and one goal to establish a personal best of four points, while Durepo tallied four goals and Kaplan had one goal and three assists to extend her point-scoring streak to 11 games.

Von Bargen entered the game with 197 career points and became the fourth UNH Wildcat to reach the 200-point milestone with her third – and final – goal of the game when she gave the 'Cats a 14-9 lead at 6:19 of the second half.

UNH starting goalkeeper Kate Gunts (Wilton, Conn.) was credited with one save and exited the game at the conclusion of the first half with New Hampshire leading 9-6. Nikki Hume (Hampton, N.H.) stopped two of five shots she faced in the second half.

Defensively, Kellen Millard (Ipswich, Mass.) recorded a team-high three ground balls, Beth Stankus (Concord, N.H.) had two ground balls and two caused turnovers and Beth Sabiston (Bay Shore, N.Y.) tallied three draw controls, one DC and one CTO.

America East All-Rookie Team selections Ilana Cohen (Andover, Mass.) and Kate Keagins (Bay Shore, N.Y.) were all-around contributors as they both finished with one goal, one ground ball and two caused turnovers. Furthermore, Cohen had three draw controls and Keagins two. Albany was led offensively by Mel Rorie (3g, 1a) and Christine Grueniger (2g, 1a) and goalie Katie Neer made seven saves.

The Great Danes took a 1-0 lead at 28:12 of the first half when Rorie drove down the right side of the fan. UNH scored four goals in a span of 2 minutes, 37 seconds to build a 4-1 advantage, and UA never pulled even thereafter. Dale, deep on the left wing, hit Durepo cutting down the middle of the fan and she fired a shot inside the right post at 26:38. Michaela Hardy (Reading, Mass.) scored the first of her three goals – extending her goal-scoring streak to seven games -- on a free position from the top of the fan at 24:52.

The duo of Dale and Durepo combined again at 24:16 to extend the lead to 3-1. Dale, this time behind the net, once again found Durepo slicing down the middle and she scored from the right doorstep.

Dale became the finisher when she scored into an open net at 24:01. Kaplan controlled the ensuing draw and quickly advanced on the right wing. Neer charged from the goalmouth to challenge Kaplan's centering pass, but Dale corralled the ball and scored.

Albany called time out at that point and pulled scored three of the next four goals to pull within 5-4. Rorie opened the spurt with an unassisted goal at 21:28, but then Susie Piotrkowski (Franklin, Conn.) scored from the right doorstep off Kaplan's pass from behind the net to reestablish a three-goal cushion at 19:03.

1 2    Next  »

2009-04-30