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 Senior Molly Gannon caused four turnovers, her last on a potential game-tying possession, as GW outlasted Duquesne, 13-11, on Friday to clinch an A-10 Championship berth. |
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Women's Lacrosse Secures A-10 Tournament Bid With 13-11 Win Over Duquesne
April 27, 2007
WASHINGTON, DC - George Washington senior Kristina Harvey set a career-high with six points as the Colonials' women's lacrosse team earned the program's second-ever berth in the Atlantic 10 Championship with an exciting 13-11 victory against Duquesne at Mount Vernon Field on Friday afternoon.
GW (9-6) has won a school-record five consecutive conference games to move to 5-1 in the league and a three-way tie for first place with Richmond and St. Bonaventure. The Colonials host the Bonnies, who lost to the Spiders 17-8 on Friday, this Sunday at 12:00 pm, with a share of the regular-season A-10 title at stake.
GW has locked up at least a Top-3 seed in next weekend's A-10 Championship, which will take place at Temple's Geasey Field on Friday, May 4, and Sunday, May 6. The top four teams in the league standings qualify for the tournament. It marks the second time in the program's six-year history GW has qualified for the conference tournament.
GW closed the game on a 3-1 run to break a 10-10 stalemate with 15:17 remaining to clinch its first A-10 tournament berth since 2005. Harvey fed rookie Katelyn Langs in front of the Dukes' cage for a score with 14:23 left, and junior Laura Wunk converted classmate Hayley McDonough's pass in transition just 44 seconds later for the game-winner.
Following several changes of possession, GW strung out a four-minute offensive set that preserved the two-goal lead and ran the clock below the 4:00 mark. Duquesne (7-9, 2-4 A-10) regained control following a saved shot and Meghan Frederick promptly netted a free-position goal with 2:32 left. DU's Meg Cloutman won the ensuing draw, but GW senior Molly Gannon's stick check on leading attacker Kathleen McNish forced a turnover and the Colonials smartly passed up open shots to keep possession and run the clock out. Sophomore Katherine Sampson added an insurance goal, her second of the game, with three seconds remaining for the final margin.
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No team led by more than two goals the entire game, but Duquesne led just once at 4-3 with 15:29 left in the first half. GW answered with three consecutive goals, two by Harvey, to regain the lead, 6-4, with just over 10 minutes left in the opening period. The Colonials led 7-5 following Sampson's first goal of the game with 2:57 left in the first stanza, but the Dukes quickly converted a forced turnover into a goal 35 seconds before the break to cut the deficit to 7-6.
The teams' traded the next six goals until Duquesne's Courtney Tamasitis netted her team-leading fourth of the game to knot the game at 10-10.
Harvey matched her career-high's of four goals and two assists, while Gannon finished with a game-high four draw controls, four caused turnovers and three ground balls.
Junior Kristin Karcsh, who has now scored in all 15 games this season, and Wunk each finished with four points on two goals and two assists. Sampson added two goals, McDonough chipped in a goal and an assist, and rookies Langs and Taylor Donohue had a goal apiece.
Junior goalkeeper Caitlin Garman made one stop in 35 minutes of action. Senior Emily Fortunato had a pair of key saves down the stretch to preserve the victory.
McNish upped her team-leading assist total to 40 with four helpers. Goalkeeper Caitlin Carducci made 12 saves.
GW held an overwhelming 36-16 edge in shots, but Duquesne won 15 of 25 draw controls.
