April 23, 2008
2008 Patriot League Women's Lacrosse Championship Page
American University will serve as the host for what promises to be a highly competitive Patriot League Women's Lacrosse Tournament. The festivities kick off on Friday afternoon when No. 1 American faces off against No. 4 Navy at 1 p.m., followed by No. 2 Colgate versus No. 3 Lehigh at 3:30 p.m. The winner of each semifinal game will advance to the championship game, which will take place at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 27.
No. 4 Navy (13-3, 4-2 PL) at No. 1 American (7-9, 5-1 PL), 1 p.m.
American comes into Friday's semifinal fresh off a win against the League's lone unbeaten team, Colgate. The Eagles, who fell in last season's championship game, are led by a group of veterans that will be looking to win their first Patriot League championship. Senior midfielder Jackie Lane leads the Eagles in goals (36), assists (17) and points (53), while senior goalkeeper Kristine Vida leads the League with 10.88 saves per game. Lane and Vida were named First-Team All-Patriot League earlier this week along with seniors Lauren Aksionoff, Brittany Finnegan and Caitlin Bell, while senior Lauren Lane was named Second-Team All-Patriot League. The Eagles, who are the No. 1 seed for the third time in school history, have a bit of history on their side, as all seven No. 1 seeds have won the Patriot League Tournament title since the League went to a tournament format during the 2001 season.
In its first year of Division I and Patriot League women's lacrosse, the U.S. Naval Academy did more than hold their own. The Mids finished the regular season with 13 victories, which sets an NCAA record for wins for a first-year program. The Mids did most of their damage on the offensive end, as they led the Patriot League with 16.75 goals per game. Sophomore Erin Rawlick finished the regular season with a League-high 64 goals and 86 points, while freshman Meg Decker finished the season with 57 goals and 70 points. Rawlick and Decker were one of two pairs of teammates in the NCAA this year to each score 50 or more goals. Rawlick and Decker both earned First-Team All-Patriot League honors this season, as did freshman Katrina Nietsch, who was named to the second team. Senior goalkeeper Natalie Blandon finished the season with a 10.56 goals against average.
The Mids defeated the Eagles 13-12 in an earlier meeting at Navy this season.
No. 2 Colgate (8-9, 5-1 PL) vs. No. 3 Lehigh (10-6, 4-2 PL), 3:30 p.m.
Colgate enters the 2008 Patriot League Tournament looking for their first tournament title since 2005, which was the second of back-to-back championships. The Raiders are led on the offensive end by sophomore and First-Team All-Patriot League selection Brie Moran, who has 38 goals and 44 points this season, both of which are team highs. Meghan Lawler also reached the 30-goal plateau, finishing with 31. Goalkeeper Sara Drexler closed out the season with a 13.41 goals against average. Joining Moran on the All-Patriot League teams were first-team selections Jessica Van der Meulen and Molly Carroll, as well as second-team selections Colleen Bubnack and Maddie Kearns. The Raiders finished first in the Patriot League in both caused turnovers and faceoff percentage.
Lehigh finished the '08 regular season by winning five of their final six games. The Mountain Hawks played a good blend of offensive and defensive lacrosse this year, as they were second in the League with 221 total goals, while only surrendering 177 goals on the season. Freshman Lauren Dykstra, a First-Team All-Patriot League honoree, has been an offensive force for Lehigh all season long, as she racked up totals of 61 goals and 75 assists this year, both tops in the League for freshmen. Sophomore Inneke Carmola, the 2008 Patriot League Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, finished the season with 39 goals and 20 assists, as well as a Second-Team All-Patriot League selection. Joining Carmola on the second team was freshman Allison Thomas, sophomore Kelsy Ferris and juniors Sarah Fudin and Sara MacIntyre.
Colgate defeated Lehigh by a score of 19-7 on April 12 at Colgate in the first meeting between the two teams.
For more information about this year's tournament, please visit the women's lacrosse championship page on the Patriot League website or click here.
