Women's Lacrosse | 5/22/2021 5:06:00 PM
SALEM, Va. – One of the top seasons in St. John Fisher College's athletic history came to an end on Saturday afternoon in the Final Four as the Cardinals' nationally-ranked women's lacrosse team fell to No. 3 Tufts University, 12-10, in the national semifinal game inside Kerr Stadium. With the defeat, Fisher, which is ranked ninth in the latest Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association poll, had its 13-game winning streak halted to conclude the 2021 campaign at 18-2. The Jumbos (10-0) advanced to the national championship game, which will take place on Sunday night.
Overall, Fisher's 18 wins marked the second-most in a single season in its history while head coach
Linda Michele's squad defeated four nationally-ranked programs including two top-10 teams en route to its first-ever appearance in the Final Four.
After falling behind by five goals over the first 11 minutes of the game, Fisher found its footing and trimmed the Jumbos' lead down to three after back-to-back goals from Sydney DeGirolamo and Alyssa Sproule.
Trailing 6-3, the Cardinals saw the gap widen as Tufts netted two straight goals of its own over the course of the next 13 minutes to hold an 8-3 cushion.
With time winding down in the opening half, Fisher was able to get one back before the break as DeGirolamo sent a pass in front of the net where Kathleen Salanger waited and beat the Jumbos' keeper top shelf to make it a four-goal gap at intermission.
As the second half got underway, both teams swapped goals, but the Cardinals' defense adjusted and held the Jumbos off the board over a 12-minute stretch to climb back into contention. On the offensive end of the field, DeGirolamo paired up with Brittany Halpin for a goal before Salanger buried her second tally of the game to make it 9-7 with under 20 minutes to go.
With momentum favoring the Cardinals, Tufts was able to extend its lead with a goal at the 13:29 mark of the half, but Fisher countered with Alyssa Sabotka and Sproule each finding the back of the net on a pair of free positions to cut the gap to one goal, 10-9, with just over 11 minutes still showing on the clock.
Down by just one, Fisher won the ensuing draw, but was unable to net the equalizer as Tufts cleared the ball out of its zone before scoring its 11th goal to hold a two-goal advantage.
With the tides beginning to shift in Tufts' favor, Fisher regained control as Claudia Mocciaro came up with a stop on a free position attempt while Halpin returned the favor on the other end of the field after finding DeGirolamo in front of the goal to keep it a one-goal affair as the Jumbos called a timeout to regroup.
Coming out of the break, Tufts forced Fisher into a turnover in its own end and capitalized after finding a seam in the Cardinals' defense to push the lead back to two, 12-10.
Facing an uphill climb with time running out, Fisher looked to push the pace. The Cardinals were able to earn a free position opportunity late in the game, but Mackenzie Alexander's shot hit the post as the Jumbos controlled the ball over the final two minutes to earn a spot in Sunday's finale.
DeGirolamo, who was named the Empire 8 Player of the Year, finished with a team-high five points with two goals and three assists along with two draw controls. Halpin added two goals and an assist while Sproule and Salanger each scored two goals overall. Sabotka and Courtney O'Dea were each credited with a goal while Logan Chase led the Cardinals with four ground balls and five caused turnovers.
Mocciaro (18-2) finished with eight saves over 60 minutes while Fisher's defense held the high-powered Jumbos to just four goals over the final 30 minutes of play.