FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 5, 2001
 

MONMOUTH WINS NEC WOMEN’S LACROSSE TITLE, EARNS NCAA BID

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Monmouth University earned its first-ever Northeast Conference Women’s Lacrosse title as the Hawks defeated UMBC 14-9 in the NEC Championship game at Kessler Field in West Long Branch, N.J., on Saturday afternoon. With the victory, the Hawks earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The victory snapped a three-year string by UMBC (10-7) who had won the crown every year since the Northeast Conference started sponsoring
women’s lacrosse in 1998. In each of those three years, UMBC defeated Monmouth (12-7) in the title bout.

Northeast Conference Player of the Year and Tournament Most Valuable Player Heather Bryan led the Monmouth attack with six goals and one
assist. Bryan opened the scoring with a goal just 52 seconds into the contest. Each time UMBC evened the score in the first half, Bryan responded with a goal to give the Hawks a lead again. She tallied a goal with 22:37 remaining in the first half to give the Hawks a 3-2 lead and then scored a goal with 13:29 left until the intermission to give the Monmouth a 5-4 advantage. Bryan added a goal to end the first half and another to start the second half to give MU a 8-4 cushion with 27:50 left in the game.

UMBC’s Renee Tirocchi, the NEC leading goal scorer, trimmed Monmouth’s lead to 8-5 as she talled a goal with 22:04 remaining, but goals by Cheri Brooks, Meg Brown and Stacy Sydlo boosted the Hawks’ advantage to 11-5.

The Retriever’s Katie Pickett and Monmouth’s Stephenie LaGrossa exchanged goals to make the score 12-6 with 16:19 remaining.

With a baker’s dozen left on the clock, UMBC appeared to get a second wind as Stephanie Allen and Lauren Traber tallied goals within 12 seconds of each other to trim the lead to 12-8, but that is as close as the Retrievers would come.

For Monmouth, Meg Brown complemented Bryan’s arsenal with three goals. Brooks, Lisa Cherill, Sydlo, LaGrossa and Rebekah Murphy each added goals for the Hawks.

Pickett, Traber and Jamie Gerhart each carded two goals for the Retrievers. Allen, Tirocchi and Ashley Staines chipped in with one goal apiece.

The site, date and time of Monmouth’s NCAA Tournament game will be determined on Sunday afternoon.