Sophomore Sarah Galligan netted a game-high five goals for Stonehill this afternoon. (PHOTO BY CSI: Photo)

2010 NCAA TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND
#3 Adelphi Holds Off #6 Stonehill, 15-10

Panthers advance to national semifinals against #2 LIU-C.W. Post next Saturday

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (May 15, 2010) – Second-seeded Adelphi University, ranked third in this week's Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches' Association (IWLCA) Division II poll held off a second-half charge from third-seeded and No. 6-ranked Stonehill College to claim a 15-10 victory in first round action of the 2010 NCAA Division II Women's Lacrosse Championship at Competition Field this afternoon.

Adelphi (17-1, 11-0 NE-10) advances to the Division II Final Four, hosted by Gettysburg (Pa.) College, next weekend where it will face top-seeded and No. 2-ranked LIU-C.W. Post (16-1, 7-0 ECC) in a national semifinal matchup next Saturday at 8 p.m. The Pioneers received a first round bye. The national championship game will be played on Sunday at 3 p.m. Stonehill sees its season come to a close with a 13-4 record overall, 10-1 in Northeast-10 Conference play, having earned its sixth NCAA Tournament bid in program history.

Senior goalkeeper Caitlin Fitzpatrick (Port Washington, N.Y./Paul D. Schreiber) made eight of her 12 saves in the second half to preserve the victory for Adelphi. The Panthers posted a 28-26 edge in shots for the contest, with Stonehill posting a 14-11 advantage on draw controls using 11 AU turnovers in the second half to key the comeback attempt.

Sophomore Marissa Mills (Islip, N.Y./Islip) scored three of her team-high four goals in the first half as Adelphi built an 8-4 halftime lead to key the win, keeping Stonehill at arms length over the final 30-minutes as the Skyhawks mounted two big rallies. Junior Elizabeth Fey (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) posted a team-best five points on three goals and two assists, while freshman Demmianne Cook (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown East) registered three goals and an assist for four points, with six ground balls, three draw controls and three caused turnovers.

Sophomore Samantha Lynott contributed two goals and an assist for the Skyhawks. (PHOTO BY CSI: Photo)

Junior Kaitlyn Carter (Mineola, N.Y./Mineola) netted three goals for the Panthers, while sophomore Claire Peterson (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) chipped in with three assists.

Sophomore Sarah Galligan (West Newbury, Mass./Pentucket Regional) led Stonehill with a game-high five goals to go with four ground balls and two caused turnovers. Classmate Samantha Lynott (Holbrook, N.Y./East Sachem) added two goals and an assist with three ground balls and two draw controls. Junior Hannah Anderson (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) and freshman Heather Sullivan (Andover, Mass./Andover) both chipped in with a goal and assist.

Freshman Rebecca Moore (Marlborough, Mass./St. Mark's School) finished with eight stops in goal for the Skyhawks.

Adelphi started fast, netting the first four goals in the first 15:28, two coming from the stick of Mills. Stonehill cut its deficit in half with markers by Lynott and Galligan with 13:03 left, but the Panthers reeled off another 4-0 run, with two goals from Fey to open an 8-2 lead with 1:29 to play in the half. The Skyhawks kept the Panthers within striking distance with goals from Galligan and Sullivan in the final 61-seconds of the stanza, with Sullivan's goal, assisted by Lynott, coming on a fast break with six-seconds left after a key save by Moore at the other end.

Cook pushed the Adelphi lead to five (9-4) 2:06 into the second half with a goal. Stonehill was able to keep the Panthers in check to be able to pull within two goals (9-7) after a Galligan strike, assisted by Sullivan, with 14:31 remaining. However, Adelphi pushed its lead back to four on two Carter goals 13-seconds apart with 12:56 to go.

Stonehill didn't go away, with Galligan netting back-to-back goals in a 22-second span, to close back within two (11-9) with 10:51 still to play. Adelphi iced the win, though, with four of the final five goals in the last 8:55. Senior Holly Burke (Churchville, Md./C. Milton Wright) scored two of those Panther goals, while Peterson dished two assists.