BOSTON -- As has been the case six of the last seven years, top-seeded Boston University and third-seeded New Hampshire advanced and will compete for the America East Women's Lacrosse Championship trophy on Saturday, May 2 at 1 p.m. Both the Terriers and the Wildcats won their semifinal contests Thursday afternoon at Boston U.'s Nickerson Field in Boston, Mass.
Boston U., the four-time defending America East Champions, defeated fourth-seeded Vermont, 18-7, in the first semifinal of the day. Junior Erica Baumgartner led the way with seven points on a career-high four goals and three assists, while two-time Player of the Year Sarah Dalton notched a game-high five goals. The 2009 and 2008 Rookies of the Year, freshman Allison Pfohl and sophomore Megan MacDonald, each tallied two goals for the Catamounts.
The Terriers started strong, and never looked back, scoring 10 goals on 10 shots in the first half. Dalton got the ball rolling with the game's first tally at 26:27 off a McKinley Curro pass. A minute and a half later, Pfohl scored the first of Vermont's four free-position goals, and then MacDonald struck the back of the net to give the Catamounts their only lead of the game, 2-1. Boston U. went on a 9-2 run to tie the score back up and take the lead for good.
Just like the first half ended, the second stanza began, with an unassisted Curro goal just a minute and a half after the break to give the Terriers a 11-5 advantage. Another young Catamount, All-Rookie Team selection Samantha Stern put Vermont on the board in the second half with a free-position goal at 27:41, but that would be all the damage the Catamounts could do for the next 20 minutes. The Terriers took complete control, running off seven straight goals and keeping the momentum in their offensive end for nearly the entire run. In that span, five different Boston U. players hit the twine, including Dalton, Xan Weitzel, Traci Landy, Alyssa Kovach and Baumgartner. Vermont senior Kristen Millar and Sara Buxton each struck in the game's final nine minutes to cap off the scoring, and their careers.
Boston U. doubled up Vermont in draw controls, 18-9, and edged the Catamounts in shots, 24-22, and ground balls, 15-14. Second-team all-conference goalkeeper Rachel Klein made nine saves for the Terriers, while Olivia Hatfield and Laura Barber each recorded one save for the Catamounts.
In the second semifinal, New Hampshire won, 17-9, to exact revenge on an Albany team that defeated the Wildcats during the regular season. Unlike the previous tilt where the Great Danes jumped out to an early 10-0 lead, UNH got the upper-hand early despite surrendering the first goal of the game. Seniors came through for the Wildcats, led by Ashley Durepo's four goals, and Sarah Von Bargen's hat trick, including her 200th career point. Senior Michaela Hardy also chipped in three goals. Deb Dale recorded career highs of three assists and four points.
Albany sophomore Mel Rorie, who finished with three goals and four points, started the scoring off with an unassisted goal at 28:12. She would go on to score the first three Great Danes goals in just over 12 minutes. After Albany struck first, New Hampshire reeled off four goals in a span of two and a half minutes, capped off by Dale's lone goal of the afternoon. Neither team could manage more than two consecutive goals for the rest of the half and entered the intermission with the Wildcats up by three goals, 9-6.
UNH won twice as many draws in the second stanza, 8-4, and outscored Albany, 8-3, in the final period to put the game away. The Great Danes, down by six goals, 13-17, with just under 10 minutes remaining began mounting a comeback, scoring two within a minute of each other. Down a still-manageable 13-9 with over eight minutes still left in regulation, Albany faced a crucial set of defensive opportunities. New Hampshire's Kate Keagins won the next draw for the Wildcats who then took their time before eventually scoring their 14th goal of the game at 6:19. Keagins controlled the next draw again to set the scene for Hayley Rausch's second goal of the game at 5:20, knocking the wind of out any potential Great Dane rally. The Wildcats finished with two more goals over the final five minutes to punch their ticket to their second straight championship title game.
Albany's Katie Neer made seven saves between the pipes for the Great Danes, playing the full 60 minutes. Freshmen Kate Gunts and Nikki Hume split time in the UNH cage, combining for three saves. Gunts, who made the start, earned the win.
The championship title tilt will be played Saturday at 1 p.m. It will be streamed live, in partnership with Pack Network, from Nickerson Field, free of charge. To access the stream, navigate to the America East Women's Lacrosse Championship Central here and then select the streaming link.