Content Roberts women’s lacrosse wins the ecc title going dancing recap from website below

Roberts women’s lacrosse wins the ecc title going dancing recap from website below

REDHAWKS CAPTURE ECC CHAMPIONSHIP WITH OVERTIME WIN

Emma Blumenstock scored the winning goal 4:07 into overtime

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Emma Blumenstock was not going to let her team be denied again.
The Roberts Wesleyan University junior captain took a pass from Lucy Rugaber at the top of the circle, charged down the alley and scored 4:07 into overtime to give the Redhawks a 12-11 victory over Mercy University and the East Coast Conference women’s lacrosse championship on Sunday afternoon.
“I saw a lane and I just went,” said Blumenstock, who finished with three goals and two assists and was named the championship’s Most Outstanding Player. “I wasn’t letting anyone stop me, I knew that we needed to score. … We had to end the game there, so I just took it strong and found the back of the net.”
The victory gave the Redhawks (13-5) their second ECC Championship and first since 2021. Roberts had lost to Mercy in the conference final each of the past two seasons, but this was the first time the championship was contested on the top-seeded Redhawks’ home turf.
“Seeing the smiles and the tears is special because I knew that this was a special team both physically and mentally,” said Roberts head coach Kristin Paolini, whose team has won 10 straight games. “They knew what they wanted from the beginning, and they fought for it every single step of the way.”
The Redhawks began their quest for the 2024 title shortly after a 9-8 loss to the Mavericks in the ECC final last season.
“It just shows that hard work pays off,” Blumenstock said. “We’ve all put in a lot of time for this. It’s not easy to get here, but it is the best feeling in the world.”
Roberts defeated Mercy 10-9 for the 2021 title and went on to advance to the NCAA Division II Final Four. Seniors Sophia Podszebka and Madelyn Robinson and graduate student Rhiannon Burtowere first-year players that spring.
“There’s not enough words to say the emotions that we are feeling as a team and that I am feeling as a senior,” Podszebka, the ECC Midfielder of the Year, said. “Having the experience of winning a conference title as a freshman and now being able to give that back to the freshmen now is such a great feeling and I am excited to see what the program has in store for the future.”
“It’s a really crazy experience and I am so happy that it has finally happened after a couple of years of being there and not quite making it,” added Roberts goalie Shawna Lesmerises, who made four saves on Sunday. “I knew that we could pull through today and that is what we did.”
The Redhawks jumped to an early 2-0 lead as sophomore Kadie Tierney scored twice in the first 2:26 of the game, but No. 2 Mercy (9-10) responded by scoring the next five goals and took a 6-5 lead into the half.
The Mavericks extended their lead to 8-5 on a goal by Brooke Zarou with 12:08 remaining in the third quarter.
Freshman Alison Dioguardi scored a player-up goal for Roberts and Blumenstock, the ECC’s Attacker of the Year, scored twice to even the game with 2:18 left in the third.
Junior Annie Mulhall converted a feed from Dioguardi with 2.5 seconds left in the third quarter to give the Redhawks a 9-8 advantage.
Mulhall and Rugaber scored early in the fourth to complete a 6-0 run by the Redhawks and put Roberts in front 11-8 with 8:09 remaining in regulation.
“I knew in my heart that we were going to pull ahead,” said Robinson, who caused two turnovers in the game. “I knew that we had this, I knew that we had worked so hard for this. Nothing is given, it’s definitely earned, but we wanted this, and I knew that we could pull ahead.”
Mercy, however, responded with three straight goals, including two by Leah Hansen, to send the game to overtime.
Neither team was able to score in the first three-minute overtime segment, but Emma Taylor secured the draw control to give the Redhawks possession in the second and the offense finished the job.
Mulhall had a good look in front with 2:06 to play, but Olivia Maute made the save. The ball bounced back to Blumenstock, who reset the offense and then called game with her 42nd goal and 104th point of the season.
What did her teammates see on the final play?
“Honestly, I blinked and it was in,” said Robinson. “I just saw Emma come out of nowhere and whip it in.”
“I was behind the net, so I had the perfect view,” said Podszebka, who led Roberts with five draw controls. “I was able to see the ball hit the back of the net and in that moment I saw all six of my teammates (on offense) ahead of the net and I was able to see their reactions and see their faces and it was just pure emotion in that moment. We were all so excited and everything we have been working so hard for came to a head and we deserved that win. That memory is something that is going to stick with me for a while.”
Paolini, the ECC Coach of the Year, had a different reaction.
“I think that I finally took a deep breath,” she said. “I knew that they could do it all along, but to finally see it put in the back of the net and them come together as a team, I just wanted to hug my coaching staff and congratulate them, too.”
Mulhall paced Roberts with three goals and three assists and Rugaber also contributed three goals and two assists for Roberts. Tierney finished with two goals and an assist and Dioguardi added a goal and two assists.
Sydney Corley led the Mavericks with three goals while Leena Moussa, Erin Shimborske and Hansen scored two apiece.
Junior Allison Clahane and Taylor each scooped four ground balls for Roberts. Taylor also secured two draw controls and caused two turnovers.
Roberts earned the top seed in the championship by rallying from three goals down in the fourth quarter to defeat Mercy by the same 12-11 score on April 26.
The Roberts’ defense helped spark Sunday’s comeback by holding Mercy scoreless for a span of 20:25 bridging the third and fourth quarters.
“We talk about it all the time,” Paolini said. “If we are going to win tough, important games we have to do it together. So, our defense knew that they had to step up, be aggressive and allow our offense to do what they do best.”
Still, knowing it and being able to do it are two different things.
“I think that the biggest part of it is that we have heart and we never give up,” said Lesmerises, the ECC Co-Goalie of the Year. “Even when we are down two or three goals, we are prepared to move back into it as fast as we possibly can. We did exactly that and we came back with the fire that we had and we used our desire to win because we would like to keep on going.”
There is no automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Championship for women’s lacrosse, so Roberts will need to wait before learning its postseason fate. The NCAA Division II selection show is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 12.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Post