Petersen, Crimi lead Adelphi women's rout
The women's lacrosse rivalry between Adelphi and C.W. Post was everything it was supposed to be -- until Adelphi did what has made it the most revered team in Division II.
The top-ranked Panthers are trying to remain unbeaten as they vie for a third consecutive national title, and No. 8 Post figured to be a potential roadblock. That was the case for a while in Friday's non-conference game, but Adelphi (13-0) wound up earning a 19-7 victory.
The typical Adelphi game is over by halftime, so a 7-3 deficit at intermission did not seem unreasonable for Post to overcome. It was 9-6 when Adelphi turned on the "relentless'' button, the one that has signaled the end for so many opponents. All-American midfielder Claire Petersen scored unassisted with 20:58 remaining. When Marissa Mills scored with 5:08 left, it was the last of 10 straight goals.
"Sometimes it takes us a few minutes to get going,'' said Petersen, who had four goals and five assists. "We did everything we had to do to get it done.''
Post (10-3) was stunned by the onslaught. "We played together for a certain amount of time and then they just broke away from us,'' defender Brie-Claire Drost said. "Goal by goal, it puts you down and down and down. You try to get back up, but they would score right back."
Adelphi has outscored opponents 281-70. "I think we're at the phase now where we have mastered everything,'' said freshman Devan Crimi (four goals). "It's more perfecting everything and picking up on our flaws, making sure it is textbook.'' She has played a big role with 34 goals, one of seven with at least 25. Petersen leads the nation in points with 120.
"The offensive talent we have, we're a matchup nightmare for any team that is going to play us,'' Adelphi coach Joe Spallina said. "When you are able to get the ball down to a Claire Petersen, great things happen. I always tell the kids, 'Get the ball to Claire; you can't go wrong.' "
Post, coached by Meghan McNamara, is the only team that has beaten Spallina (66-2), who is in his fourth season at Adelphi. "She's a great coach,'' Spallina said. "It was important for us that if we had any say about dictating our path to a three-peat, we wanted to do that today.''
Adelphi hosts the Final Four next month. Post will need help to make the tournament. "Things could happen and we could still get in,'' McNamara said. "Our season's not over.''
