Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. Olivia Ferrucci played the role of hero for North Carolina on Wednesday night, scoring twice in the final two minutes to clinch a 13-12 win over Virginia Tech. Ferrucci was one of five North Carolina players to score multiple goals — and Katie Hoeg led the team with two goals and four assists.
A valiant effort by No. 18 @HokiesLax, but with a dwindling shot clock & less than 2 minutes left in the game, it's Olivia Ferrucci who saves the day with back-to-back goals within 30 seconds of each other to tie it & win it for No. 8 @uncwlax 13-12. @ACCWLax #NCAAWLAX pic.twitter.com/VefUKbaCGq
— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) March 28, 2018
After a back-and-forth first half, the Tar Heels pushed their lead to 9-5 with 26:21 left in the game. Tristan McGinley scored three goals on a Virginia Tech run of five out of seven goals over 18 minutes, helping the Hokies take their first lead at 12-11 with 4:09 left.
Ferrucci took over in the final minutes to avoid the upset.
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Also in women’s action, Kali Hartshorn had four goals and an assist — along with 10 draw controls — to lead No. 3 Maryland to a 17-5 win over Georgetown.
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James Madison rebounded from its loss to Maryland with a 15-5 blowout win over UC Davis. Eleven different Dukes scored in the win that moved them to 9-1.
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West Chester coach Ginny Martino hit a historic mark on Wednesday night, when her team beat No. 14 East Stroudsburg 14-7. The win was Martino’s 300th, making her the first Division II coach to reach that number and the 10th overall.
West Chester coach Ginny Martino became the first in Division II women's history to win 300 games.
Other women’s scores
No. 3 Maryland 17, Georgetown 5
No. 4 James Madison 18, UC Davis 5
No. 5 Loyola 22, American 3
No. 8 North Carolina 13, No. 18 Virginia Tech 12
No. 9 Virginia 18, Canisius 8
No. 11 Navy 11, Lehigh 7
Brown 17, Louisville 10
UMBC 13, Siena 3
High Point 21, Drexel 10
Wagner 14, Columbia 10
UMass-Lowell 11, Central Connecticut 6
Colgate 12, Boston U 8
Holy Cross 11, Army 10
Lafayette 15, Bucknell 10
Liberty 11, William & Mary 7
Ohio State 7, Robert Morris 3
Oregon 17, Vanderbilt 12
No. 6 West Chester 14, No. 14 East Stroudsburg 7 (DII)
2. Albany got past another obstacle in what could be a special season, blowing out No. 17 Harvard 14-6 at home. Tehoka Nanticoke scored two goals and added four assists to lead the Great Danes, who dealt with a limited Connor Fields (sprained knee).
Justin Reh had two goals for Albany in a low-scoring first half that ended with the Great Danes holding a 4-2 lead. The teams traded goals in the third quarter until Albany put together a four-goal run that pushed the lead to 11-4 with 11:53 left.
TD Ierlan helped the Albany effort, winning 16 of 24 faceoffs. Reh and Kyle McClancy each had hat tricks. Harvard star Morgan Cheek had two goals and an assist.
FINAL: No. 1 @UAlbanyMLax dominates @HarvardMLax 14-6. Tehoka Nanticoke 2G, 4A. Fields (sprained knee) 1A. pic.twitter.com/JzKRU6rqvp
— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) March 29, 2018
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Elsewhere in men’s action, No. 4 Gettysburg used a second-half run to pull away from No. 7 Franklin & Marshall and pick up the 16-12 victory. Jack Harvey had a hat trick to lead the way for the Bullets.
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No. 5 Adelphi got the best of No. 11 Pace 12-6 in Division II action, using a hat trick from Dylan Crossan to move to 5-1 on the season.
Notable men’s scores
No. 1 Albany, No. 17 Harvard
No. 4 Gettysburg 16, No. 7 Franklin & Marshall 12 (DIII)
No. 5 Adelphi 12, No. 11 Pace 6 (DII)
3. John Grant Jr. reflected on his wild NLL journey — one that led him to becoming the second leading scorer in the history of indoor lacrosse — after his jersey was retired this past weekend in Colorado.
Grant Jr. has already begun his career outside of playing, with coaching jobs at Valor Christian (Colo.) and the Denver Outlaws. He caught up with Neil Stevens while coaching at a camp in Florida.
“In my wildest dreams, I’d never have imagined being in Florida coaching and flying home to have my sweater retired,” he said during a telephone interview before a flight back to Colorado. “It’s been a crazy ride, that’s for sure.”
4. Robert Morris, in its 14th season, looks poised for its first NCAA tournament appearance. After starting 6-2 with wins over Penn State and Marquette, the Colonials are heading into NEC play with a five-game winning streak.
“We’ve got a positive buzz going, which is something this team was feeling before the season started,” coach Andrew McMinn said. “We tried to give them an off day and just watch film [this week], but they wouldn’t take it.”
- Also in the men’s notebook, Johns Hopkins faceoff man Hunter Moreland spent his first two years laboring through knee injuries and a third in a brace. Now, he's enjoying being free at the faceoff x.
5. US Lacrosse and other groups are helping innovate how the game is presented to newcomers around the country. They’re also trying to solve the problems created by lack of field space and access.
Organizations like WallGames, Nations United, Ferris School and the Lacrosse Communities Project have set out to make the game much more accessible.