RADNOR, PA – The Cabrini women's lacrosse team scored a season-high 21 goals today, as it secured its spot in Saturday's Colonial States Athletic Conference championship with a 21-8 win over Immaculata today at Edith Robb Dixon Field.
The Cavaliers will host the tournament's number two seed Marywood in Saturday's championship tilt at Edith Robb Dixon Field. Stay tuned to CabriniAthletics.com for game time.
With today's win, the Blue and White improved to 15-3, marking the best record in program history. The 15 victories are tied for the second most in a single season and sit just one behind the 2007 club that went 16-5.
A determined Cabrini team put the game out of reach in the early minutes of today's action. Sophomore
Liz Hoeffner scored the first of her career high nine points 60 seconds into the game, converting a pass from senior
Allie Vallen into the game's first goal.
Less than a minute later, Vallen hit sophomore
Avery Murphy to double the lead. Six different players recorded goals, as the Cavaliers recorded the game's first seven goals.
Immaculata freshman Layne Kennedy interrupted the Blue and White scoring run at the 17 minute mark, but Cabrini responded in a big way.
The Cavaliers posted eight unanswered goals, including three by senior
Jess Breuning, extending their lead to 15-1. The Mighty Macs scored a pair of late goals to pull within 16-3 at the half.
The Blue and White scoring run continued after the break, with Hoeffner netting three of Cabrini's five second half goals, as the lead swelled to 21-3 with less than 10 minutes to play.
Hoeffner and Breuning posted season highs with five goals each, while Hoeffner added four assists in her career day. Vallen added six points in the win, matching a career best four helpers.
Murphy finished the day with three goals, while juniors
Sasha Wozniak and
Jackie Neary added two goals each.
Eleven of Cabrini's 12 starters recorded at least one ground ball, with Neary pairing four ground balls, four draw controls and a team high three caused turnovers. Wozniak secured three ground balls, while Murphy controlled eight draws. Wozniak and sophomore
Katie Kucia also tallied two caused turnovers.
All three of Cabrini's goaltenders saw action today, with senior
Megan Barlow stopping five shots to earn her career high 15th win of the season.
Kennedy led the Mighty Macs (10-8) with five goals, while junior Brittany Whaley added three to go with four ground balls, four draw controls and four caused turnovers.
Marywood (11-5) will make its third CSAC championship appearance after topping Neumann 20-5 in today's other semifinal round game. Juniors Sam Bussinelli and Caitlyn Watson and freshman Gwyneth Gleason scored five goals each and accounted for 19 of the team's 36 shots in the win.
Junior Haley Risi tallied seven ground balls and four caused turnovers, while senior Natalie Burke added four ground balls, five draw controls and three caused turnovers. CSAC Defensive Player of the Year Lauren Smith recorded six saves in the win.
Saturday will mark the second time the teams have met this season, as Cabrini scored a 12-10 win over Marywood on March 18. The Cavaliers outshot the Pacers 37-17 and controlled 19 of the game's 24 draws.
Hoeffner and Murphy led the Blue and White, combining for seven goals and three assists, while Neary added two goals. Businelli led Marywood with five points, while Gleason and sophomore Ashley Valway scored twice.
