May 28, 2006

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Shannon Smith scored two of her team-high three goals during a game-changing 5-0 run that book-ended halftime and propelled New York 1 to an 8-7 victory over Upper Atlantic 1 in the championship game of the High School Division 1 at the US Lacrosse Women’s Division National Tournament, presented by YOLO Sportswear, today at Lehigh University.

With the win, New York 1 claims the Valerie Walchak Trophy for the first time in the award’s 13-year history.

"We have to have no individual turnovers and win two groundballs each, and we’ll win this game," said New York coach Sharon Sarsen of her halftime address, her team trailing 5-2. "We have a great goalie to take us there, and that’s exactly what happened."

That goalie was Elizabeth Hogan, who settled down after allowing three goals in the game’s first eight minutes. She finished with 12 saves, several from point-blank range, and kept her team in it while the offense began to produce against an increasingly-fatigued Upper Atlantic squad.

"We were all tired," said Upper Atlantic’s Emma Hamm, who earned the Heather Leigh Albert Award as the top high school player in the nation in defeat with a goal and two assists. "We had a big game against Mid-Atlantic 1 in the semis (a 9-8 win ending just two hours prior to draw), and we were tired out. They turned it on in the second half."

Trailing 5-1 after Hamm’s free-position goal with 10:16 remaining in the first half, Smith started the comeback by beating defender Taylor Fleming and scoring with 8:35 to play. Second-half goals by Jessica Russo and Chelsea Robinson continued the surge before Smith finally tied it at 5 on a free-position shot at the 12:35 mark. After another tie, Cook put New York ahead to stay on a free-position shot with 6:12 to play. Less than two minutes later, Smith fed Elizabeth Drumm for the clinching marker. Ally Monticolla scored for Upper Atlantic with 2:25 to play, but New York won the ensuing draw and was able to run out most of the clock.

"We had to cut down on our mistakes and win some groundballs, and we did that. We came back in the semifinal game (over Lower New England 1), we were down by two goals, so this was another big comeback. These kids never give up," said Sarsen.

More action from Lehigh:

Club Division Lures NCAA Players

The ACC and the Ivy League boast some terrific college rivalries. They take a back seat, for a weekend, at least, at the National Tournament.

The Club Division annually lures many of the NCAA’s top players, and while they bring their talents and skills, they gladly check their disdain for conference foes at the gate.

"My favorite part is coming out here and getting a chance to play with some of your arch-enemies that you know from college, and getting a chance to play with your coach," said Princeton’s Kathleen Miller, a five-time veteran of the National Tournament who enjoyed playing along side Tiger assistant coach Michele DeJuliis on the Upper Atlantic 1 club team.

"There are people on my team that are Penn grads. Inter-Ivy League makes it a lot of fun because I know their name, I know them on the scouting report and I play against them, but it’s fun getting to know them without ‘enemy’ plastered on their forehead."

"You know who they are and you’ve played against them, but you haven’t really gotten to meet them and know them. So it’s great," added Boston College’s Lauren Fitzpatrick, a member of the New England 1 club team for the first time.

"The competition really attracted me to playing. I know a lot of the good players in the ACC are playing here. It’s good experience."

With their seasons recently completed, college players bring the same desire and talent to win, but they welcome the idea of playing with new faces in a somewhat more relaxed atmosphere.

"It’s a relaxed intensity," said Miller. "Everyone’s here to have a good time. At the same time, you want to play well and work well together. The only time where you really have the most fun playing is when you’re playing well. The level is pretty up there. This last game (a 6-6 tie vs. Mid-Atlantic 2) was pretty intense."

Of course, trying to one-up your conference rivals can’t be too far from mind. Those same rivals become teammates at the National Tournament, bringing to light an interesting scouting opportunity. When asked if she was keeping an eye on teammates’ moves and skills to better prepare for them when the players become rivals again next spring, Fitzpatrick laughed before realizing some there was some merit:

"Yeah, I haven’t thought about that. But I could really pick up on stuff like that."

Stony Brook's Danielle Werner (New York 1) won the Aimee Willard Award as the outstanding collegiate athlete.

Sunday Scores

High School Division

UA7 def. NW1, 15-5

MA7 def. Pac2, 13-8

NY6 def. LA1, 17-3

Mt2 def. SW1, 10-4

NC1 tied LNE5, 8-8

SE2 def. GL3, 10-4

LNE4 def. SC2, 11-4

HS Division 1 Round of 16

UA1 def. LNE2, 11-7

MA3 def. NY3, 8-7

NY4 def. UA4, 14-4

MA1 def. MA2, 13-7

NY2 def. NY5, 9-4

LNE1 def. Mt1, 15-6

MA4 def. MA6, 8-7

NY1 def. UA2, 10-5

HS Division 1 Quarterfinals

UA1 def. MA3, 12-4

MA1 def. NY4, 10-5

LNE1 def. NY2

NY1 def. MA4, 15-7

HS Division 1 Semifinals

UA1 def. MA1, 9-8

NY1 def. LNE1

HS Division 1 Final (Valerie Walchak Trophy)

NY1 def. UA1, 8-7

HS Division 1 Consolation Games

NY3 def. LNE2, 9-8

MA2 def. UA4

NY5 def. Mt1

UA2 def. MA6, 13-7

LNE2 vs. UA4

Mt1 vs. MA6

MA3 def. NY4

NY2 def. MA4, 12-11

HS Division 2 Semifinals

UA6 def. UA7, 12-11

NY6 def. MA8

HS Division 2 Final

NY6 def. UA6, 11-10

Seniors-Only Division Quarterfinals

UA1 (bye)

MS def. Pac, 11-9

NY def. NE, 15-5

MA1 (bye)

Seniors-Only Division Semifinals

UA1 def. MS, 17-2

MA1 def. NY, 13-7

Seniors-Only Division Final

MA1 def. UA1

Club Division

Pac1 def. NE1, 14-4

UA1 def. NY1, 9-5

MA2 def. MA1, 7-5

Club Champion (President’s Cup)

Pacific 1

Inaugural Post-Collegiate Club Division Final

Philadelphia def. Boston, 9-1