Stony Brook, N.Y. – Sarah Spillett scored four goals, including two in each half, as UAlbany rallied in the final period for a 10-7 upset victory over top-seed Stony Brook in the semifinal round of the America East Conference Tournament on Friday evening at LaValle Stadium. The Great Danes, who advance to the championship for the first time in the program's history, will play for the title and an NCAA berth on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Boston University upended New Hampshire, 16-4, in the other semifinal contest.

Stony Brook (13-4) led 6-4 midway through the second half. But the Great Danes, as the fourth seed, responded with three goals in a two-minute-and-two-second stretch to go in front. Spillett, a senior who tied a career-high goal total, ignited that run when she converted a free-position attempt from the right side. Freshman Christine Grueniger, who had three goals, then found the net in transition after Kate Fontana scooped up a turnover in the Seawolves' midfield and started the break. Kayla Best (Guilderland) gave her team a 7-6 lead fifteen seconds later when she sent a right-handed shot to the left of goalkeeper Jen Sandtorv.

UAlbany (8-8) would score three more times over the next eight minutes. Best, a freshman midfielder, changed direction and place a low shot into the cage. Rory Redmond connected when she finished off Jane Bush's feed while cutting to the top of crease. Spillett pushed the margin to 10-6 with 5:38 remaining when she drilled a sidearm shot in a free-position situation. Goalkeeper Jen Daly, who made nine saves, was also instrumental during this decisive three-goal stretch, as she twice stopped free-position attempts by SBU's Kimberly Quartier and Leggio.

"We were too emotional and got frustrated at one point in the second half," said UAlbany coach Lindsey Hart, whose team suffered a 17-13 setback on this same field during the regular season on April 21. "(Sarah) Spillett and (Jen) Daly came up huge. They have been here for four years and they believed they could do this. We slowed their fastbreak and made some big stops defensively."

The Great Danes, who had lost their previous three America East postseason games and did not make the field one year ago, leaped to a 3-0 lead in the opening eight minutes as Grueniger scored a pair of goals. The Seawolves, who had won 10 of their last 12 contests to earn a share of the conference's regular-season title, regrouped with five unanswered. Leggio, the America East player of the year, netted two of her three goals in that outburst.

"We went to the goal and played with confidence," explained Spillett, a first-team all-conference attacker. "When we beat UMBC last week to get into the tournament, we started to see the results of everything that we had worked hard for. The seniors realized that there was no more perfect time to come together."

2007-05-04