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Vanderbilt Knocks Off No. 4 Loyola In NCAA Lacrosse Tournament First Round, 5-4 5-13-04 5/13/2004 Commodores will face James Madison on Sunday in the NCAA Quarterfinals BALTIMORE, Md. — Behind the stingy Commodore defense, junior goalkeeper Ashley Bastinelli made 13 saves, including 10 in the second half, to lead the 11th-ranked Vanderbilt women’s lacrosse team to a 5-4 win over fourth-seeded Loyola in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Diane Geppi-Aikens Field in Baltimore, Md. “I am really proud of our team’s performance today,” VU Head Coach Cathy Swezey said. “The way our squad stepped up great pressure was impressive. It’s really special to get our first NCAA win. The performance of goalkeeper (Bastinelli) and our entire defense was just exceptional, and ended up being the difference in the game.”
The Commodores will travel to Harrisonburg, Va., on Sunday, May 16, to face James Madison in the NCAA Quarterfinals. The Dukes were 14-9 winners over Johns Hopkins Thursday. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” /> Senior Jess Roguski had three goals to lead the Vanderbilt attack, while sophomore Kate Hickman scored the Commodores’ other two — including the game-winner in the 55th minute of play. On the decisive goal, American Lacrosse Conference Player of the Year Michelle Allen found Hickman wide open in front of the net, and the Severna Park product gave the Commodores their first ever post-season victory.
In a low-scoring game, however, the real story was the Commodore defense and the wall setup behind it in the form of Bastinelli. The Lutherville, Md., native, playing just blocks from her high school, Baltimore Friends, was nearly unbeatable in the Vanderbilt cage.
Neither team scored in the first 14 minutes of action. The half’s lone goal came at the 14:37 mark off a free position attempt. The Commodores outshot the Greyhounds, 13-7, in the first half, but only managed to get six on goal — all of which were saved by LC keeper Kim Lawton.
The first half ended with the score, 1-0, Loyola, setting the NCAA record for the fewest goals scored by a pair of teams in one half of tournament action, breaking the previous low of three.
In the second half, the Greyhounds tallied a pair of goals to open up a 3-0 lead. The Commodores took 18 shots before the 19th one found the back of the net. In the 42nd minute, senior Kelly Devlin won a draw control and advanced the ball into the VU attack. The Dores possessed for a minute before the ball found its way back to Devlin’s stick. The Sparks, Md., native then assisted Hickman on Vanderbilt’s first goal of the game.
Two minutes later, a ground ball by senior defender Bridget Morris was cleared through the midfield to setup another scoring opportunity for the Commodores. Once in the attack, senior attacker Lauren Peck, a 2002 transfer from Loyola, found Roguski for a goal which brough the Commodores within a goal, 3-2.
Roguski scored her second goal just three minutes later to tie the game at 3-3. Allen earned a free position attempt in the 48th minute and assisted Roguski, who rolled across from the outside hash to even the match.
Loyola took a timeout, but was unable to cool off Roguski’s hot hand on a day where tempature on the turf reach well over 90 degrees. When Bastinelli made her 10th save of the day, Roguski was there on the offensive end to give the Commodores their first lead of the day on an unassisted goal in the 51st minute.
The Greyhounds won the ensuing draw and were able to even the score at 4-4 with an unassisted goal in the 52nd minute. But only three minutes later, the Commodores would answer to take the lead for good. Bastinelli’s 11th save of the game turned into the game-winning goal when Allen found a wide-open Hickman for a 5-4 lead.
After a Commodore timeout, VU junior Kim Gianis won the ensuing draw and advanced the ball into the Vanderbilt’s offensive zone. The Dores began passing the ball around in an effort to drain the remaining five minutes from the clock. They endured four Loyola yellow cards to get under the two minute mark before the Greyhounds finally forced a turnover.
Loyola’s attack raced down field to setup and put a shot on goal when the clock was barely under a minute. But once again, Bastinelli stepped up to stone the Greyhounds. Following a save, she cleared the ball to senior Christiana Serle, who sprinted into the Commodores’ offensive end. Vanderbilt wasted the final 30 seconds of the game and the celebration began.
Vanderbilt now holds a 1-0 record over the Greyhounds, who advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 2003. VU also has never faced James Madison prior to this Sunday’s upcoming NCAA Quarterfinal match. The Commodores, in their ninth season as a varsity program, are making their first appearance in the NCAA Quarterfinals. |
