May 3, 2008
ALC Tournament Central including Live Video and Live Stats
Box Score | 2008 Season Statistics
EVANSTON, Ill. — Four goals each from senior Margie Curran and sophomore Sarah Downing propelled the ninth-ranked Vanderbilt women’s lacrosse team to a 10-7 victory over 19th-ranked Johns Hopkins in the American Lacrosse Conference semifinals Saturday at Northwestern’s Lakeside Field.
Vanderbilt (13-4, 3-1 ALC) will take on top-seeded Northwestern in tomorrow’s ALC championship game at 12 Noon CT. The homestanding Wildcats defeated Penn State, 15-7, earlier on Saturday.
Conference Goalie of the Year Brooke Shinaberry had another outstanding game in the Vanderbilt net, making nine saves on the afternoon against only seven goals. Defensively, senior Sasha Cielak had a game-high four caused turnovers while senior Heather Koutrakos picked up five ground balls. The Bluejays boasted five 20-goal scorers on their roster this season, but Vanderbilt held three of those players without goals on Saturday.
The teams traded goals through the first 15 minutes of the contest. A free-position goal by VU senior Ashley Paschall broke a 3-3 tie, and the Commodores would go on to score four straight goals. Curran capped a hat-trick with under four minutes to go in the first half and Vanderbilt took an 8-4 lead into the break.
The pace of the game slowed considerably in the second half, as the Commodore attack played possession offense and the Commodore defense stymied the Blue Jays. Shinaberry made eight saves in the second half while the teams combined for only five goals total in the final 30 minutes.
Sunday’s game will be televised live by CBS College Sports, with Jason Chandler and Sheehan Stanwick-Burch calling the action.
