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For the first time in Big East women’s lacrosse history, Florida became the first team to win four consecutive titles, downing Denver 18-6 for the 2018 crown and automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

It was a record day for the Gators’ final conference game before moving to the American Athletic Conference in 2019. They finished with 33 straight league wins dating back to 2015.

"It is a great accomplishment,” said Florida coach Amanda O’Leary. “You have to credit our players both past and present. They work every day for this and I am honored to be able to coach these student-athletes."

With seven goals and one assist in the final, junior attacker Lindsey Ronbeck earned the tournament’s honor of Most Outstanding Player. She set a new Big East record for most goals in the tournament (15), one game after breaking the league record for most goals in a game (eight against Marquette). Ronbeck also tallied 16 points in the two tournament games to set another conference record.

Sophomore defender Cara Trombetta also set a conference tournament record with six caused turnovers against Denver for the most in a single tournament game. Her tournament total (11) also is a Big East record.

The record-breaking victory started off in dominant fashion for Florida thanks to a seven-goal run, led by three from Ronbeck. Denver avoided the shutout with its first – and only – goal at the 13:38 mark in the first half.

The Gators entered halftime with a 10-1 advantage after Ronbeck sparked another three-goal spurt.

"The start was huge for us,” O’Leary said. “When we looked at our game the first time out with them, we got out to a really hot start, but Denver came back and evened the score. It was really important for us to maintain that momentum and it was great to see. We didn't take the foot off the pedal and I'm really proud of them."

The Pioneers kicked off the scoring in the second period, but Florida was quick to respond. They exchange one goal apiece before Ronbeck again scored at 23:18 to take the Gators up by 10.

Denver had a 3-1 edge over the next 10 minutes, but its effort was quickly silenced as Florida ended the game on four straight goals, featuring one more Ronbeck tally.

Sydney Pirreca had four points on three goals and an assist for the Gators, while Allie Pavinelli and Shayna Pirecca added three points apiece. Sabrina Cristodero secured a team-high seven draw controls.

Big East All-Tournament Team

Riley Hill, Marquette
Jules Horning, Marquette
Natalia Lynch, Georgetown
Michaela Bruno, Georgetown
Elizabeth Behrins, Denver
Maddie Baum, Denver
Caitlin Derry, Denver
Lindsey Ronbeck, Florida*
Shayna Pirreca, Florida
Cara Trombetta, Florida
Sabrina Cristodero, Florida
Shayna Pirreca, Florida
*MVP

Mercer Earns Inaugural SoCon Title, AQ

Thanks to a hot start, fourth-year program and No. 4 seed Mercer clinched the inaugural Southern Conference championship crown with an 18-8 win over third-seeded Furman. The upset bid began Thursday when the Bears stunned No. 1 seed Detroit Mercy 18-17.

Furman got on the board first, but Kelly Hagerty kick-started Mercer’s offense with a goal less than a minute later to spark a 7-1 run.

Over the next seven minutes, the Paladins had a 3-2 advantage, but the Bears scored five straight goals in response.

Furman found the back of the net once more before halftime before Mercer came out firing four consecutive goals to start the second half. The Paladins finished the game with two more scores, but it wasn’t enough to come back from the first half rout.

Mercer’s Lindsey Zeltwanger had a team-high seven points on two goals and five assists, while Hagerty had a team-best five goals and added one assist.

SoCon All-Tournament Team

Shannon Doyle, Central Michigan
Logan Halvorson, Central Michigan
Lexie Kinmond, Detroit Mercy
Kaitlyn Wandelt, Detroit Mercy
Maggie Friel, Furman
Meg Lingo, Furman
Abby Shields, Furman
Kelly Hagerty, Mercer*
Kate Leone, Mercer
Lily Morin, Mercer
Audrey Robertson, Mercer
Lindsey Zeltwanger, Mercer
*MVP

Jacksonville Earns Second Straight A-Sun Title

For back-to-back Atlantic Sun crowns and fifth overall title, Jacksonville defeated Coastal Carolina 25-19 to advance to the 2018 NCAA women’s lacrosse tournament. The Dolphins’ 25 goals set a new A-Sun championship single-game record. 

Jacksonville opened the title game with three straight goals before Coastal Carolina got on the board at the 26:24 mark and a 2-1 edge over the two minutes.

The Dolphins then secured a four-goal run to go up 8-2 with 18:26 left to play in the first. Despite two two-goal spurts for the Chanticleers in the final 10 minutes, Jacksonville’s three-goal spurt in less than a minute beforehand led to a 13-7 halftime advantage.

The second half saw a game of runs for both teams with the Dolphins scoring three or more straight goals three times, while the Chanticleers tallied three or more consecutive goals twice.

Coastal Carolina’s five straight scores brought the score within three at the 5:01 mark, but Jacksonville’s and the game’s final three goals sealed the victory for the reigning champion.

Alyssa Arnold and Ashyn Hiron had eight points apiece for the Dolphins, while Sarah Elms led with nine points on seven goals and two assists.

A-Sun All-Tournament Team

Lauren Ey, Old Dominion
Sophia Powers, Old Dominion 
Siena Gore, Kennesaw State 
Connor Zophy, Kennesaw State 
Julia Imbo, Coastal Carolina 
Sophie Crowther, Coastal Carolina 
Haley Kyger, Coastal Carolina 
Sarah Elms, Jacksonville
Erica Beal, Jacksonville 
MacEllen McDonough, Jacksonville 
Alyssa Arnold, Jacksonville 
Ashtyn Hiron, Jacksonville*
*MVP

Fairfield Escapes Canisius in MAAC Championship

With a 14-10 win over Canisius, Fairfield won its first MAAC championship since 2015 and fourth overall in program history.

The Stags opened the scoring with a three-goal run before the Golden Griffins had a 4-2 edge over the next 14 minutes. Each team exchanged two more goals apiece for a one-goal halftime advantage for Fairfield.

With another three-goal spurt out of the break, Fairfield secured a 7-4 second half for the four-goal victory. Canisius came within two with 7:48 to play, but the Stags finished with two scores to extend their cushion.

MAAC All-Tournament Team

Chloe Novak, Monmouth
Kate Ryan, Monmouth
Logan Boyle, Marist
Camille Renaud, Marist
Rachel Ryan, Canisius
Lauren Smolensky, Canisius
Rebeca VanLaeken, Canisius
Megan Beach, Fairfield
Brenna Connolly, Fairfield
Paulina DiFatta, Fairfeld
Kelly Horning, Fairfield
Kathleen Hulseman, Fairfield*
*MVP

Wagner Upsets Bryant in Triple Overtime Thriller for NEC Trophy

In a showdown until the final seconds between top-seeded Bryant and No. 2 seed Wagner, the Seahawks secured the 12-11 upset with the game-winning goal from Lauren Ednie in triple overtime.

The game started off in Bryant’s hands with five straight goals to have a shutout in the first 10 minutes. However, Wagner responded with five consecutive goals of its own in the final 13:40 to knot it 5-5 at halftime.

The Bulldogs again kicked off the scoring in the second half, but the Seahawks then went up 9-6 at the 20:09 mark thanks to a four-goal spurt, with three coming from Ednie.

Bryant outscored Wagner 5-1 over the next 19 minutes to lead 11-10 with just one minute remaining. But with 31 seconds left on the clock, Ednie scored the game-tying goal to force overtime.

After two scoreless extra periods, Heidi Colford assisted Ednie for the game-winner.

Ednie led the Seahawks with five goals, while Ally Alliegro had five points on three goals and two assists.

NEC All-Tournament Team

Lauren Ednie, Wagner*
Ally Alliegro, Wagner
Maggie Jent, Wagner
Erin Kerstetter, Wagner
Jess DeMeo, Bryant
Madison McNally, Bryant
Samantha Santeramo, Bryant
Meghan Crouse, Robert Morris
Dana Davis, Robert Morris
Jillian Petito, Mount St. Mary’s
Kaitlyn Ridenour, Mount St. Mary’s
*MVP

Scoreboard

Atlantic Sun Championship: Jacksonville 25, Coastal Carolina 19
Big East Championship: Florida 18, Denver 6
MAAC Championship: Fairfield 14, Canisius 10
NEC Championship: Wagner 12, Bryant 11 (3OT)
SoCon Championship: Mercer 18, Furman 8