CORTLAND, N.Y. – The SUNY Cortland and SUNY Brockport women's lacrosse teams have advanced to the championship game of the State University of New York Athletic Conference playoffs with victories in Friday's semifinal round. The teams will play for the league title and an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III playoffs on Saturday at noon. Senior Ali Bourgal (Sachem) scored four first-half goals as nationally ninth-ranked Cortland defeated Oneonta, 10-5. Eight different players scored goals to lead Brockport to its first SUNYAC title game since 1997 with an 11-10 victory over Geneseo.

GAME 1: CORTLAND 10, ONEONTA 5

The home Red Dragons, who improved to 13-3 on the season, earned their ninth straight trip to the conference finals and are seeking their ninth consecutive league crown. With the loss, Oneonta fell to 9-8 on the season.

Besides Bourgal's first-half burst, senior Jennifer Willis (Huntington/Walt Whitman) registered six assists for Cortland and eclipsed the school single-season assist record. She currently has 37 on the season and surpassed the mark of 36, which she established last season. Freshman Jessie Fritz (Baldwinsville/C.W. Baker) recorded two goals and an assist, and senior Andrea Venditti (Baldwinsville/C.W. Baker) scored two goals. Freshman goalie Deanne Abell (Fulton/G. Ray Bodley) made 12 saves, including seven in the first half.

For Oneonta, freshman Lauren Portnoy (Sea Cliff/North Shore) scored a pair of goals, and senior Erin Maybeck (Huntington) added a goal and two assists. Sophomore goalie Eileen O'Toole (Long Beach) stopped 10 shots for the visiting Red Dragons.

Cortland scored the first six goals of the game and held a 7-1 lead at the half. Bourgal netted the game's first three goals, all of feeds from Willis, and the last score of the opening 30 minutes. Venditti made it an 8-1 lead just 21 seconds into the second half, but Oneonta scored three of the next four goals, two from Portnoy, to get to within 9-4 with 13:38 remaining. Junior Beth Elmer (Camillus/ West Genesee) scored with 7:29 left for Cortland, and Oneonta couldn't find the back of the net again until Maybeck tallied her 33rd goal of the season with 2:45 on the clock. Oneonta failed to get off another shot and Cortland effectively ran out the clock to seal the win.

Cortland outshot Oneonta, 26-22, and held a slight 26-23 advantage in ground balls in the game.

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GAME 2: BROCKPORT 11, GENESEO 10

The Golden Eagles improved their record to 12-3 on the season, extending their school record for wins, and face Cortland in the finals for only the second time. Geneseo fell to 11-5 with the loss.

Sophomore Julia Decker (Penn Yan) led Brockport with two goals and an assist and senior Courtney Dean (Holland Patent) and junior Carrie Kane (Rochester/Irondequoit) and each netted two goals with Dean connecting for the game-winner. Junior Kim Winslow (Auburn) and freshman Lindsey Cayea (Cicero/Cicero-North Syracuse) each recorded a goal and an assist, while junior Jenny Baccile (Elmira/Horseheads) and freshman Lexie Goodhart (Syracuse/Bishop Ludden) added one goal and one assist apiece. Senior goalie Ashley Taylor (Middle Island/ Longwood) made 11 saves.

For the Knights, junior Shauna Leonard (West Henrietta/Rush- Henrietta) compiled a game-high five points on three goals and two assists. Senior Maggie Benham (Canandaigua) recorded three goals and an assist, and junior Colleen Byrne (Syracuse/Bishop Ludden) added two goals. Sophomore Hannah McKee (Ithaca) stopped 10 shots in goal.

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2007-05-04