Post beats Le Moyne, faces West Chester in final
LIU Post midfielder Lauren Spagnoletta controls the ball against Adelphi in the NCAA Division II women's lacrosse quarterfinal. (May 12, 2012) Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- LIU Post scored eight unanswered goals to spark a 15-10 comeback win over Le Moyne in the NCAA Division II women's lacrosse semifinals Thursday at Bellarmine University.
The Pioneers could earn their third national title when they face rival West Chester (Pa.) University in Saturday's 2 p.m. final.
Post senior Lauren Spagnoletta led all goal scorers with four. Nan Mayott, Ashley Olen and Abbie Ross each had hat tricks and Samantha Losco added two goals for the Pioneers (16-3). East Coast Conference player of the year Jackie Sileo had all seven of the team's assists, second-most in Division II tournament history.
Brittany Brigandi and Kathleen Conese had hat tricks for Le Moyne (16-3) .
Down 4-1 with 10:57 remaining in the first half, Post cracked the nation's top-ranked defense, rattling off five goals in the half's final 7:50 -- two from Spagnoletta and the final three from Ross.
"We know what's at stake. We want it so bad and we weren't going to let their pressure defense stop us," Sileo said.
Post added to a 6-4 halftime lead with unassisted goals from Spagnoletta, Losco and Mayott to go up 9-4 with 22:57 remaining.
After a timeout, Le Moyne responded with a Conese goal from a free position and a Brenna Bauer strike to cut the deficit to three with 19:29 to play. Le Moyne got no closer as Sileo found a cutting Olen with a pass from behind the cage. Olen scored the first of her three straight goals, the final one giving Post a 12-6 lead with 6:42 remaining. The Pioneers added two goals in the next minute.
The national championship matchup gives Post an opportunity to avenge an 18-15 loss to West Chester on April 24.
"It just fires us up even more that we're playing against a team we lost to and we get a second chance against them," Ross said.
West Chester defeated Rollins College, 19-10, to earn its place in the final. The two teams have a storied history in the final. Post beat West Chester in 2001 and 2007 for two titles, with West Chester winning in 2008. The winner of Saturday's rematch will take home its third national championship, second most in Division II history.
"We can't focus on 2008," Pioneers coach Meghan McNamara said. "That's history. We're here to make history. We're excited for Saturday."
