MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – The Morrisville State women's lacrosse team battled a tough SUNY Poly squad Sunday afternoon, and outgained the Wildcats by a final 14-12 score to claim their third straight North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Championship Tournament title and automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament.
The Mustangs will learn their next opponent tonight during the NCAA selection show, set to air at 9:30 p.m. on www.ncaa.com.
THE BASICS:
- Final Score: Morrisville State 14, SUNY Poly 12
- Location: Drake Field, Morrisville, N.Y.
- Records: Morrisville 14-5, SUNY Poly 12-7
- Note: NEAC Championship Final – Morrisville State earns third straight bid to NCAA Division III Tournament
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- SUNY Poly outgained the Mustangs 4-1 in the opening 10 minutes of the contest before a score from Courtney Cavellier (Rodman, N.Y.) kicked off a four goal run for the top seeded Morrisville State squad, claiming the one goal lead in the tightly matched contest.
- After two straight Wildcat scores, Morrisville State notched three consecutive goals to send the game into the halftime break with an 8-6 Mustang lead.
- In the second, both teams battled back and forth, matching each other's strikes, including a game tying goal with 11:35 to go from Poly, but Morrisville State pulled ahead for the final time with 6:02 remaining and added a security goal down the stretch to earn their third straight tournament title.
- In a game full of penalties and physicality, Morrisville State held the edge in the ground ball battle 27-14 and were successful on 5-of-10 free position attempts, while outgunning the Wildcats 35-26 across both periods of action.
- Poly held the edge in draw controls from the center circle, 15-13, while netting 5-of-8 free position opportunities.
- The duo of Kayla Prosinski and Samantha Dayter paced the Wildcats, each posting a game total four goals and one assist, while combining for 12 draw control wins and five ground balls.
- Prosinski was the firecracker for the Wildcats in the opening 10 minutes of the game, netting three of Poly's four scores, all unassisted, while collecting each draw control.
- Dayter collected three of her tallies in the second half, two on the man-advantage, including the game tying mark with 11:35 to go.
- Despite their efforts, Morrisville State proved too much as Cavellier maintained the hot stick throughout the game posting four in the first half of action, followed by two man-up tallies in the second for a game total six.
- Cavellier also collected eight draw controls, caused two turnovers and picked up six ground balls, earning her tournament Most Valuable Player accolades. Across the two days, she had a total seven goals and an assist, 16 draw control wins, seven ground balls and five caused turnovers from her midfield position.
- As with the rest of the season, Morrisville State's scoring came from a number of individuals in its offensive unit, including a five point outing from senior Celia Abbott (Shortsville, N.Y.) who notched two scores and added three assists. Abbott's final tally came with 1:25 remaining, securing the win for the Mustangs.
- Makenzi Santini (Fairport, N.Y.) added two scores, including the eventual game winner on a critical free position with 6:02 to go; as well as Jillian Hughes (Brookfield, N.Y.) who posted two tallies for the Mustangs.
- Grace Hanehan (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) rounded out Morrisville State scoring with a goal.
- Both Hughes and Lexi Firkins (Brockport, N.Y.) each collected four ground balls, with Firkins causing three turnovers.
- Kadi Bice (Lorraine, N.Y.) was the victor in net for Morrisville, collecting five saves in each half of action for a game total 10.
- Poly's Alycia Lugo posted a total 14, nine in the opening half.
WHAT'S NEXT:
- SUNY Poly ends their historical season with a 12-7 mark, as they made their first appearance in the NEAC finals.
- Morrisville State (14-5) will learn of their NCAA Division III Tournament opponent tonight during the selection show, set to air at 9:30 p.m. ET at www.ncaa.com.
Morrisville State College's curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.
The college was ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2018 issue and was also recognized in the Top Public Schools, Regional Colleges North in the 2018 Best Colleges rankings. For more information about Morrisville State College, visit www.morrisville.edu.
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