Hamilton Wins School’s First NCAA Title

Six Goal Run to Close First Half Catapults Continentals

May 18, 2008

SALEM, Va. --- Hamilton College scored six unanswered goals in the first half of the 2008 NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Championship title game to catapult itself to a 13-6 victory over Franklin & Marshall College on Sunday afternoon in Salem, Virginia.  Hamilton’s victory marks not only the second straight season a newcomer has won the event’s title, but it also awards the school its first NCAA crown in any sport.

Franklin & Marshall, the 2007 NCAA Division III champion, ends its campaign as the national runner-up with a 19-2 record.  Hamilton boasts a 21-1 record, the program’s best season-ending mark.

“We are just so excited about winning this national championship,” said Hamilton head coach Patty Kloidt.  “I’m so proud of my kids and all of the alumni that we have graduated the past few years in terms of building this program to what it is today.  They have left a lot of legacy with this team that we currently have and we are building upon that.”

Bunch-scoring by Hamilton and turnovers worked against the Diplomats’ from the outset.  Possibly aided by rainy conditions at Roanoke College’s Donald J. Kerr Stadium, F&M turned the ball over 21 times compared to 14 miscues for Hamilton.  Nine Diplomat mistakes came off clear attempts.

“The whole first half we were so out of sync and it didn’t have to do with the weather I don’t think,” said Franklin & Marshall head coach Anne Phillips.  “It wasn’t the greatest day to play but we threw the ball away and we turned the ball over.  We didn’t feel nervous but we just didn’t play our game.  We tried to rally at points, but we could never string enough together to get momentum.  We played hard…we just didn’t play well.”

Scoring started early as Hamilton’s Kaillie Briscoe notched an unassisted effort just 3:27 into the contest.  Sarah Bray doubled the Continentals’ advantage nearly eight minutes later before the Diplomats’ Sarah Veneski and Devi Hensch evened the score at 2-2 with a pair of goals separated by 1:05.

Hamilton started its scoring run with 11:38 showing on the clock.  Hilary Saverin made the score 3-2 before Bray found the net twice and Briscoe once more to push out to a 6-2 lead with 8:19 to go in the half.  Bray again found an opening in the cage before Jen McGowan set the halftime score at 8-2 just 1:48 before the intermission.  Of the six goals scored in closing the half, five were unassisted efforts.

Meredith Lussier and Sarah Meisenberg broke nearly seven minutes of back-and-forth possessions to open the second frame with a pair of goals again just 1:05 apart to bring F&M to within four at 8-4.  Anne Graveley returned the favor with two of her three goals of the championship, regaining the Continentals’ six-goal margin at the 19:24 mark.

Jen Pritchard got one back for the Diplomats, but Bray, Graveley and Nicole Tetreault tacked on three more successive scores for a 13-5 lead and all but seal Hamilton’s victory.  Meisenberg chipped in her seventh goal of the championship series to pull F&M to within seven at the 3:58 mark, but the Continentals maintained control for much of the remaining time without allowing the Diplomats another shot on cage.

Bray led all scorers with six points on a career-high five goals and one assist.  Gravely notched three goals while Briscoe added two goals and a pair of helpers.  Saverin and McGowan score once apiece, and Tetreault combined an assist with her second-half tally.  Goalkeeper Kate Fowler made three saves in each half for the Continentals.

“It feels great,” said Brey about her banner day.  “I just played my heart out.  This team brings the best out of every player. I give these girls and our coach so much credit.”

Meisenberg led F&M for the second straight day with three points on two goals and an assist.  Hensch, Lussier, Pritchard and Veneski all found the net once, and Shannon Summers recorded an assist.  Lidia Sanza made eight saves guarding the Diplomats’ cage with six coming in the first 30 minutes of action.