2005 NEWMAC WOMEN'S LACROSSE TOURNAMENT - Wheaton advances to championship with dramatic one-goal victory over Babson

April 30, 2005

NORTON, MA- The Wheaton College women's lacrosse team scored all four of its second-half goals in the final three minutes of regulation to turn a 10-7 deficit into a thrilling 11-10 victory over number-four seed Babson College in Saturday afternoon's New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament semifinal round action at Keefe Field.

Surviving the scare from the Beavers, Wheaton advances to its fourth consecutive conference championship game, where the Lyons will face the winner of Springfield College and Wellesley College on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Wheaton improves to 11-4 on the season, while Babson ends its season at 7-11 overall.

Wheaton and Babson found themselves in a back-and-forth battle to begin this afternoon's game, trading the contest's first six goals for a 3-3 deadlock with just over 17 minutes to play. The Beavers took a 5-4 edge following goals from freshmen Anita Martignetti (Winchester, MA/Winchester) and Stacy Hambro (Longmeadow, MA/Williston), but the Lyons scored the stanza's final three goals to take a 7-5 lead into the break. Senior Kyla Graves (Warner, NH/Kearsarge Regional) scored two of the goals during that spurt, while senior Vanessa Pisano (Vineyard Haven, MA/Martha's Vineyard) had three tallies in the half.

In the second half, Babson senior Libby Bryant (Arrowsic, ME/Morse) and junior Ashley Platt (Centerville, MA/St. George's) gave the Beavers two quick goals for a 7-7 tie just four minutes into the stanza. The Beavers continued their stellar play throughout the half, scoring three more times while holding the potent Wheaton offense scoreless for nearly the entire stanza.

Junior Julia Coit (South Portland, ME/South Portland) finally ended the Lyon drought to bring the hosts to within two. Pisano and freshman Meredith Hurd (Bath, ME/Hyde School) fed off Coit's initial score with back-to-back goals to knot the game with 44 seconds remaining, setting up Wheaton's last-second heroics. Pisano managed to sneak her fifth goal of the day past veteran goalkeeper Margaret Schlachter (Saratoga Springs, NY/Stratton Mtn.) with 10 ticks on the clock, giving the Lyons the thrilling one-goal win.

Coit, Graves and Hurd finished with two goals apiece to accompany Pisano's five, while Hambro led the Beavers with five goals and one assist. Wheaton senior goalkeeper A.J. Vasiliou (Middletown, CT/Mercy) accounted for 10 stops in the victory, while Schlachter was credited with 14 saves for the Beavers.

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