Lacrosse (Women) | 5/4/2017 6:26:00 PM

CSAC Tournament Championship: Cabrini University Cavaliers (15-3, 9-0 CSAC) vs. Marywood University Pacers (12-5, 8-1 CSAC)
Saturday, May 6, 12:30pm
Edith Robb Dixon Field

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What's at Stake
Simply put, the 2017 CSAC title.  Saturday's victor claims the leagues championship trophy and the conference's automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

The Cavaliers are no stranger to this game, as they will make their 20th championship appearance and play for a 16th title after winning each of the last five.  

This will mark the third appearance for the Pacers, and their first since suffering a 19-16 loss to Cabrini in the 2012 title tile.

Last Meeting: Cabrini topped Marywood 12-10 in CSAC opener (3/18/17, Radnor, PA)
The Cavaliers earned a hard fought victory in their tightest CSAC contest since a trio of three goal wins in 2012.  The Blue and White held a slim for the majority of the game and used a 4-1 spurt over a span of 14 minutes over the first and second halves to build a comfortable 9-5 margin and hold off a late Marywood spurt.

Sophomores Avery Murphy and Liz Hoeffner made the most of the CSAC debuts, posting five points each on a combined seven goals and three assists, while Murphy controlled 10 draws.  Junior Sasha Wozniak added a goal and two assists, while junior Jackie Neary scored twice.

Senior Jess Breuning, junior Gabby Lee and sophomore Emma Rodner-Tims combined for 10 caused turnovers and eight ground balls, while senior goaltender Megan Barlow earned the victory with five saves, four ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers.

Senior Sam Bussinelli paced Marywood with three goals and two helpers, while sophomore Ashley Valway and freshman Gwyneth Gleason scored two goals each. Senior Natalie Burke paired four ground balls and four caused turnovers, while classmate Lauren Smith tallied 14 saves and 10 ground balls.

Cabrini Last Time Out: Cavaliers rode early offense to 21-8 semifinal win over Immaculata (5/3/17, Radnor, PA)
Cabrini scored the game's first seven goals and built a 16-3 halftime lead, as it secured its spot in Saturday's championship game with its sixth consecutive win.  

Hoeffner and Breuning posted season highs with five goals each, while Hoeffner added four assists in her career day. Senior Allie Vallen added six points in the win, matching a career best four helpers. Murphy finished the day with three goals, while Wozniak and 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.

Marywood Last Time Out: Pacers overpowered Neumann in 20-4 semifinal win (5/3/17, Scranton, PA)
Like Cabrini, Marywood scored early and often, as it posted the game's first five goals and established an 11-1 halftime lead.  The Pacers outshot the Knights 36-12 and controlled 16 pf the game's 25 draws.  

Gleason, Bussinelli and fellow junior Caitlyn Watson scored five goals each and accounted for 19 shots in the win. Valway added matched Bussinelli's seven points, as the sophomore handed out five assists,

Junior Haley Risi tallied seven ground balls and four caused turnovers, while Burke added four ground balls, five draw controls and three caused turnovers. Smith, the CSAC Defensive Player of the Year, Smith recorded six saves in the win.

5 Factors for Cabrini

• Murphy, the 2017 CSAC Player of the Year, ranks 23rd in the country with 62 goals, while her 80 points are good for 37th.
• The Blue and White boasts one of the nation's top scoring offenses, posting 15.22 goals and 21.5 points per game, both ranking among the top 20 in the country.
• Seven Cavaliers have notched north of 20 goals with four recorded more than 40 points on the season.
• The Cavaliers have outshot their opponents in 17 of 18 games this season and nearly doubled the opposition on the season (643-331).
• Cabrini has controlled at least 10 draws in 17 of 18 contests and secured at least 20 ground balls on 15 occasions.

5 Factors for Marywood

• Smith ranks as one of the nation's top netminders, as her 6.24 goals against average ranks 10th in the country, while her .569 save percentage is good for eighth.
• The Pacers record 22.29 points per contest and 8.18 assists, good for 16th and ninth, respectively in the NCAA.
• Businelli, Valway and Gleason are the keys to the Marywood attack, as the trio has accounted for 130 of the team's 240 goals.
• Burkle leads the Pacers with 32 caused turnover and recently broke the program record with her 113th cause miscue.
• Marywood has surrendered just 106 goals on the season, 49 less than any other team in the CSAC, and just 45 in league play.

 

	TALE OF THE  TAPE
No. 1 Cabrini		No. 2 Marywood
15-3, 9-0 CSAC	Record	12-5, 8-1 CSAC
274	Goals	240
113	Assists	139
643	Shots	509
270	Draw Controls	199
445	Ground Balls	435
244	Caused Turnovers	208
.419	Free Position Percentage	.349
.399	Save Percentage	.569
	TEAM LEADERS
Avery Murphy (62)	Goals	Sam Bussinelli (46)
Liz Hoeffner (22)	Assists	Gwyneth Gleason (23)
Avery Murphy (80)	Points	Sam Bussinelli (68)
Avery Murphy (87)	Draw Controls	Gwyneth Gleason (44)
Jess Breuning (52)	Ground Balls	Natalie Burke (64)
Jackie Neary (33)	Caused Turnovers	Natalie Burke (32)
Megan Barlow (.419)	Save Percentage	Lauren Smith (.569)