Syracuse, N.Y. – Senior attacker
Julia Suriani (Buffalo, N.Y./West Seneca East) scored a career-high six goals to lead the fourth-ranked and second-seeded Le Moyne College women's lacrosse team to a 13-9 victory over the fifth-ranked and third-seeded University of New Haven on Saturday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Championships at Ted Grant Field. With the victory, the Dolphins tie the program's record for most wins in a season (18).
The Dolphins advance to the NCAA semifinals for the third time in five years and will take on second-ranked and top-seeded Adelphi University on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at Donald J. Kerr Stadium in Salem, Virginia.
Le Moyne (18-3) opened the game's scoring just 48 seconds into the game as all-region sophomore midfielder
Amari Pollard (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) scored from the front of the crease off a pass from behind the net by all-region junior attacker
Erica Geremia (Camillus, N.Y./West Genesee/SUNY Cortland).
Courtney Ackland evened the score at one apiece with an unassisted goal with 25:28 left in the first half.
The Dolphins regained the lead with 23:41 left as Geremia fed freshman attacker
Abbie McEntee (Cazenovia, N.Y./Cazenovia) for her 17th goal of the year.
Maya Szymanski tied the score for the second and final time with an unassisted marker with 21:16 remaining.
Le Moyne tallied the next six goals over a span of 14:49 to take an 8-2 lead with just over five minutes left in the half. McEntee started the run with 19:54 remaining after collecting another pass from Geremia on the left side of the crease. Following a save by all-region senior goalkeeper
Molly Marbut (Edgewater, Md./South River), Suriani scored in transition with 18:29 to go off a feed from classmate
Laura Hoffman (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua).
After six and one-half minutes of scoreless play, Suriani gave the Dolphins a 5-2 advantage after taking a pass from Geremia. With the assist, Geremia became just the second player in the program's history to dish out 50 assists in one season. Two and one-half minutes later, all-region junior attacker
Maggie Monnat (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) tallied her 30th goal of the campaign. In an extra-player situation, Suriani netted her third goal of the half with 8:39 left off a pass from McEntee. Sophomore attacker
Alexis Garbarino (Endwell, N.Y./Maine-Endwell) capped the streak with 5:05 left with her eighth goal of the season from the left edge of the crease.
New Haven scored three times in a span of 50 seconds late in the stanza to pull within 8-5 at the intermission. After getting possession on a backup, the Chargers scored 12 seconds later as Caitlin O'Brien finished off a feed from Corinne Fisher with 1:49 remaining. Just 13 seconds later, Ackland cut her team's deficit to four with another unassisted goal to force a Le Moyne timeout. In an extra-player opportunity, Nicole Belanger converted a free-position attempt with 59 seconds left for the final goal of the half.
The Chargers continued their run with the first two goals of the second half. Following a Le Moyne yellow card, Ashley Travis scored in the extra-player situation after taking a pass from Belanger with 22:43 left. Only 67 seconds later, Szymanski connected on a free-position shot to get the Chargers within one.
The Dolphins, more specifically Suriani, answered with back-to-back goals to push the lead back to three. She scored the first of the two with 19:29 left, snapping her team's scoring drought of 15:36, in an extra-player opportunity after taking a feed from McEntee. Just 2:01 later, she finished off a feed from Geremia.
Following six minutes of scoreless play, Ackland got the Chargers back within two with her third goal of the afternoon.
McEntee countered with her third of the day with 9:38 to play off a feed from Geremia, her season high-tying sixth assist of the contest.
Belanger pulled her team within two for the final time with 8:29 to play off a pass from Kathryn Campbell, who recorded her 300th career point on the play.
The Dolphins closed out the game's scoring with the final two goals. Suriani became the fourth Dolphin in the program's history to net 60 goals in a season by finding the back of the net with 3:04 remaining. McEntee registered her 20th goal of the year with 2:24 to play off a pass from Monnat. With the assist, the 92nd of her career, Monnat tied the program's record, which was previously set by Whitney Vecchio '08.
Marbut finished the contest with seven saves, including six in the first half, to register to her 18th victory of the season, which ties the program's single-season record set by Kelly Fucillo '12 during the 2011 campaign. With her second save of the game, which led to Suriani's goal at the 18:29 mark of the first half, Marbut moved into fifth place on the program's career chart with 360. All-region sophomore defender
Vicki Graveline (Syracuse, N.Y./West Genesee) recorded four draw controls, three ground balls and caused one turnover. With the caused turnover, her 39th of the year, she eclipsed the program's single-season record set in 2011 by Katlin Walker '11.
