April 8, 2007
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — What looked like a gut-wrenching episode of deja vu ended in celebration as senior Kendall Thrift found the back of the net with 47 seconds remaining in the first sudden-victory period to lead Vanderbilt (8-4, 2-1) to an 11-10 win over American Lacrosse Conference rival Johns Hopkins.
“Just like the Penn State game, this win was about more than just this year,” said head coach Cathy Swezey. “It was so nice to finally get a victory against this team. We won with a total team effort. We had good individual efforts, but it was our performance as a team that was the difference.”
Led by Thrift and junior Margie Curran, the Commodores gained control in the first half of play, taking a 6-3 lead over the Bluejays (6-5, 1-1) into halftime. Curran scored three times in the half and added an assist, while Thrift tallied a goal and an assist. Sophomore Cara Giordano and freshman Sarah Downing also scored in the opening half.
Vanderbilt continued to add to its lead at the beginning of the second half, as Curran, Downing, and senior Nicole Pugno each tallied a goal within the first ten minutes to extend the Commodore lead to 9-5. It appeared as if Vanderbilt was taking control and were looking to put the game away.
But Johns Hopkins responded in a big way. Led by All-American Mary Key’s five goals (four of which came in the second half), the Bluejays roared back. They outscored Vanderbilt 5-1 over the next 20 minutes, and Lauren Schwarzmann’s goal with 2:27 remaining tied the score at 10.
It appeared Johns Hopkins sealed the victory in a manner eerily similar to the defeat against Stanford on March 31. Sarah Walsh took the pass from behind the net and fired a shot past junior goalkeeper Brooke Shinaberry with four seconds remaining to apparently give the Bluejays the lead. But having learned from the experience last week, Vanderbilt immediately called for a stick check.
“We went over every possible scenario we could think of, just to make sure we had everything covered,” said coach Swezey. “As soon as that ball went in, the only thing that went through my mind was `check that stick.'”
It was a great call as Walsh’s stick was deemed illegal, voiding the game-winning goal. It was also a huge sigh of relief for Shinaberry who had been outstanding in goal all afternoon, recording 11 saves and keeping Key frustrated all afternoon.
In the first overtime, Vanderbilt dodged another bullet as Key found herself with a fairly good look at the net, but her shot hit the right post and bounced out of the crease to end the threat. With neither team scoring in the first overtime period, the game went to a sudden-victory second overtime, which was ended by Thrift’s goal a little over two minutes in. Regardless of how the game played out, all that mattered was that the Commodores had notched another conference victory.
Junior defender Sasha Cielak had an excellent game for the Commodores. Cielak had four draw controls, two ground balls and two caused turnovers. She gained possession with an interception in the eight-meter arc to give the Commodores their decisive possession which Thrift finished.
“This was a big one for us, and now its time to get ready for the stretch run,” said coach Swezey. “We finally have a week to prepare and get some rest, so we’re going to take advantage of it. We’ve got another huge one coming up.”
Vanderbilt closes out conference play this weekend when it travels to Columbus, Ohio to take on Ohio State on Sunday, April 15. A win would give the Commodores a 3-1 mark in conference play and clinch the 2nd seed for the conference tournament. The opening draw is scheduled for 12 noon ET (11 am CT).
