SALEM, Va. --- Lynchburg scored off a free-position shot with 14-seconds remaining to give them an 12-11 victory over Roanoke in the ODAC Semifinals Wednesday at Kerr Stadium. The Hornets advance to the ODAC Championship with a 14-3 record, while the Maroons end their season at 9-7.
Down 10-7 with 9:47 left, Roanoke scored four of the next five goals over a seven-minute span. With the Maroons still showing plenty of fight in them, Brooks Laufman (Annapolis, MD, Severn), who had her best game of the season, found Sunni Ray (Severna Park, MD, Severn)in transition as she scored to tie the contest at 11-all with 2:19 remaining in regulation. But the comeback attempt fell just short as the Hornets scored the game-winner and to end the Maroons season.
In a tightly contested game, Lynchburg held a slim 30-27 edge in shots attempted, with Roanoke holding a slight edge in draw controls, 13-12. Both teams had 17 groundballs each. The Hornets were 15-of-19 on clear attempts to the Maroons, who were 13-of-16. The defense played well in defeat, especially in free-position situations, as the Hornets were 4-of-10 on the night.
Lynchburg got on the board first within the first two minutes of play with a Patty Sheahan scored her 18th goal of the season. Roanoke tied the contest a minute later as Paige Mason (Orangeville, Ontario, Canada, Orangeville)found an open Meegan Rourke (Greenwich, CT, Millbrook School)for her 26th goal of the year to make it, 1-1 with 27:38 to play in the first half.
The Hornets scored four of the next five goals to give them a 5-2 lead with 13:44 left. LC's leading scorer Lesley Buckingham scored two of the four goals during its run.
Roanoke answered by scoring three of the ensuing four goals to pull to within one, 6-5 at the 7:56 mark. Gina Valles (South Windsor, CT, Westminster )scored back-to-back goals to give her an ODAC-leading 67th of the year. Buckingham netted her third goal of the contest to go into the half with a 7-5 advantage.
After Elizabeth Hartge (Easton, MD, Easton)goal from Rourke made it 7-6 Lynchburg four minutes into the second half, the Hornets scored three of the next four goals to increase their lead, 10-7 with 9:47 left.
Paige Mason (Orangeville, Ontario, Canada, Orangeville)and Valles finished with two goals and two assists for the Maroons. Valles added three groundballs, two draw controls and two caused turnovers. Laufman and Carolyn Miller (Clinton, MD, St. Mary's Ryken)had two goals and an assist each. Miller collected three groundballs.
Melissa Madalon (Darien, CT, Darien)had a groundball and two caused turnovers while Alida Haslett (Bryn Mawr, PA, Radnor)collected a groundball, won three draw controls and added a caused turnover. Carolyn Clark (Baltimore, MD, Towson)had two groundballs and a caused turnover. Rourke (1g, 1a) had a caused turnover tonight which tied a single-season record with 46, also held by Kylie Wernert in 1998. Laura Zdziarski (Gainesville, FL, Buchholz)finished with a season-high eight saves.
Buckingham finished with six goals to lead the Hornets. She now has 59 goals on the year. Morgan Logue and Kathryn Ollice added a goal and an assist apiece. Christina Tran finished with 11 saves and five groundballs.
Valles finished the year with 109 points, a new single-season record. She enters the 2011 season ranked second in career points (286), goals (206), third in assists (80), free-position shots (40) and caused turnovers with 80. She is the new record-holder in career draw controls with 141. She finished the season one assist shy of tying the single-season mark (42).
Haslett leaves Roanoke as the career-leader in caused turnovers (90), while Mason finished second all-time in draw controls (135), fifth in career assists (73) and ninth on the all-time scoring list (177pts). Cristen Sanfilippo (Sparks, MD, Hereford)ended her career fourth all-time in draw controls (112) and eighth in caused turnovers with 47. Clark had 61 career caused turnover to rank her sixth all-time.
