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No. 16 Vanderbilt Lacrosse Uses Senior Surge To Leap Past No. 10 Penn State, 16-12 2-29-04 2/29/2004 NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The 16th-ranked Vanderbilt women’s lacrosse team began its American Lacrosse Conference season Sunday with a 16-12 victory over 10th-ranked Penn State at the Vanderbilt Lacrosse Complex. The Commodores used hat-tricks by four seniors and a six-goal run in the second half to put away the Nittany Lions. “I think today’s win was a great example of a true team effort,” Vanderbilt Head Coach Cathy Swezey said. “A lot of players stepped up for us. But looking at the overall picture, there was no one player who stepped up more than the next — everyone was solid.” The two teams battled back and forth in the opening 30 minutes and the game went to halftime tied at 6-6. Sophomore Kate Hickman scored a pair of goals, including one with 28 seconds remaining in the half off a feed from senior Kelly Devlin. In the second half, Penn State would score two goals in the opening 1:35, but Vanderbilt quickly countered to keep the deficit within one goal. Senior Michelle Allen got the offense started in the second half, scoring in the 33rd minute and then feeding senior Jess Roguski in the 40th minute for a game-tying goal. Devlin gave the Commodores the lead in the 44th minute, scoring her first of three goals on the afternoon. Vanderbilt held Penn State scoreless for 16 minutes before the Nittany Lions were able to tie the score at 9-9 in the 48th minute. The Dores then scored six goals in seven minutes, as Allen, Roguski and senior Lauren Peck finished off hat-tricks and sophomore Bryn Sedlacek scored the first goal of her VU career. Penn State would find the net three times in the final two minutes, but it was not enough. Devlin scored Vanderbilt’s final two goals to give the Commodores their final 16-12 tally. Allen dished out a pair of assists on the day, tallying her second five-point game of the season. Devlin, Peck and Roguski each added four points, while Hickman and Sedlacek had two. Senior Joanna Mooney got in on the action, adding a key assist late in the contest. Vanderbilt controlled the face-off for much of the day, winning 18 of 29 draws. Roguski won five draws by herself, with Allen and senior Christiana Serle each grabbing three. In goal for the Commodores, junior Ashley Bastinelli made one save and scooped up three ground balls in the first half. Freshman Brooke Shinaberry made five saves in the second half. Penn State’s Lee Tortorelli played all 60 minutes and made nine saves on the day. With the win, Vanderbilt gets a jump-start in the American Lacrosse Conference. The Nittany Lions had been picked to finish second in the league, while Vanderbilt was tabbed third. The ALC regular seaosn champion will receive the league’s automatic qualification to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 2004. The Commodores (1-1, 1-0 in the ALC) will return to action next weekend, as they travel to Palo Alto, Calif., to take on the Stanford Cardinal on Sunday, March 7. Vanderbilt returns home the following weekend to play host to Yale and New Hampshire on March 13 and 15, respectively. Goals: PSU – Havrilla (4), Chambers (2), Maslin (2), Burke, Jeschke, Long, Sherman; VU – Allen (3), Devlin (3), Peck (3), Roguski (3), Hickman (2), Sedlacek, Spies. Shots: PSU 22; VU 28 Scoring Summary Second Half Goals |
