ROCHESTER, N.Y. - ON TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME! For the first time in program history, the Maryville women's lacrosse team will play for the NCAA Division II Championship as the Saints defeated No. 2 seed East Stroudsburg 15-11 in the National Semifinal game. Helen Bae had a spectacular all-around game and poured in seven goals with one assist and tracked down 11 draw controls to lead the attack. Paige Murphy added five goals, while goalie Gianna Guzek made eight saves and held the nation's leading offense to more than seven below its season average.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Bae boosted the Saints to a quick start as she fired in a free-position goal and followed up with a dodge down the lane for a 2-0 lead. Paige Murphy scored on a free-position shot as the Saints grabbed the early 3-0 advantage. ESU finally got on the board but the Saints responded with three straight. Bae struck again just over a minute later to complete her hat trick at the 6:51 mark. Murphy pushed the margin to 5-1 at the end of the first quarter. The Maryville defense dominated the high-scoring Warriors and forced six turnovers.
Devyn Dimovitz tallied just 27 seconds into the second as the Saints built a 6-1 lead. ESU pulled two back but Murphy stopped the run with her second on the day. The Warriors got as close as 7-5 but Murphy closed out her hat trick to start a run. Natalie Tomljenovic took a pass from Mady Richert and converted for a 9-5 edge. Dimovitz ended the half with a goal as the Saints built a 10-5 margin at halftime. ESU's five goals are the fewest scored in the first half all season.
ESU opened the second half with a score but Bae and Murphy scored back-to-back player-up goals as the Saints took their largest lead of the day at 12-6. The Warriors had their best run of play and scored three of the next four goals. With the Saints looking to stem the tide, Bae answered the need and fired in another goal for a 14-9 margin with 11:06 remaining. The Warriors made one last push and closed to 14-11 with 7:23 to play. The Saints won the next draw control and Bae found the back of the net for a 15-11 cushion with 5:20 remaining. The Saints again won the ensuing draw control and helped bleed the rest of the clock to advance to the championship game.
The Saints caused ESU to commit 18 turnovers while only giving up the ball six times themselves. Maryville had 17 ground balls to just six for the Warriors. In the second half, the Saints enjoyed an 8-4 advantage on draw controls.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Goals: Helen Bae - 7
Assists: Mady Richert - 2
Points: Helen Bae - 8
Ground Balls: Kylie Pettus - 5
Caused Turnovers: four players - 2
Draw Controls: Helen Bae - 11
Saves: Gianna Guzek - 8
RECORDS
No. 8 Maryville: 17-4
No. 7 East Stroudsburg: 20-2
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Saints face No. 1 seed Florida Southern for the Division II National Championship at 4 pm CT / 5 pm ET on Saturday, May 23. The contest will be played at Judson Stadium on the campus of Rochester Institute of Technology.