ALBANY, N.Y. - Binghamton came through with an upset victory while top seed UAlbany put up one of its most impressive victories of the season on Friday at John Fallon Field.
In the opener, UAlbany ran away from New Hampshire in the second half on the way to a 20-10 victory, led by Katie Pascale and Sarah Falk who combined for 13 goals.
The second semifinal was back-and-forth, and No. 3 Vermont looked to be in control with a 9-5 late in the third. However, Binghamton outscore the Catamounts 7-1 the rest of the way to pull off the 12-10 stunner.
Binghamton will now battle UAlbany for America East supremacy and a #AEWALAX Title on Sunday at 10 a.m. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU. The winner will receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
#AEWLAX Semifinals Recap
#1 UAlbany 20, #4 New Hampshire 10
- The Great Danes advanced to their 12th straight #AEWLAX Championship game behind a dynamic performance from Katie Pascale and a strong defensive effort.
- Pascale set a new conference record with 12 points, breaking the previous mark of nine which had been shared by four different athletes. Her seven goals also matched the #AEWLAX record of seven and she is the fifth to accomplish that feat. The record for points in a tournament is 17, set by Kylie Ohlmiller in 2018.
- It was just 1-0 through the opening five minutes, but the Great Dane offense exploded for seven goals over the final nine minutes, including a Grace McCauley goal with no time left in the period for an 8-1 lead.
- UNH was able to pull within five with 4:31 left in the half, but UAlbany scored the final three goals of the period for a 12-4 advantage after 30 minutes.
- The Great Danes continued to press their advantage in the second half and finished with the 20-10 victory.
- In addition to her 12 points, Pascale also picked up 14 draw controls.
#2 Binghamton 12, #3 Vermont 10
- Binghamton secured its first trip to the championship game by scoring seven of the final eight goals of the contest.
- The Bearcat fell behind 4-2 early in the second quarter, but came back to even the score 5-5 with 2:49 left in the half.
- The third quarter belonged to the Catamounts who scored four straight goals for a 9-5 advantage, however, Kristen Scheidel ended the run with just seven seconds left in the period.
- The fourth quarter was all Binghamton. The Bearcats tied the contest up 10-10 with just four minutes left and Isabella Meli provided the eventual game-winner with 2:55 remaining in regulation. They added one more insurance goal in the final minute.
- Abigail Carroll led the Binghamton offense with four goals and three ground balls, while Kristen Scheidel had a hat trick and four draws.
- Angelina Suau anchored the Binghamton defense with four caused turnovers, along with three ground balls.
UAlbany is seeking their third conference title, but first since winning back-to-back in 2011 and 2012. Binghamton is making its first title game appearance.
Stay up-to-date on the tournament by visiting Championship Central for streaming and live stats links as well as box scores, highlights and recaps following each round in addition to team information, tournament history and more.
Follow @AmericaEast and @AEGameDay on Twitter to get the real-time championship updates. Use the #AEChamps and #AEWLAX hashtags to join the conversation.
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