NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The third-seeded Norwich University women's lacrosse team survived a postseason thriller on Saturday afternoon, edging sixth-seeded University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), 13-12, in sudden victory overtime in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Quarterfinals on Sabine Field at Haynes Family Stadium.
With the win, the Cadets improve to 14-3 overall, extend their winning streak to three games, and move to 7-1 at home this season. Norwich now advances to the GNAC Semifinals, where the Cadets will travel to second-seeded Emmanuel College on Tuesday, Apr. 28, for a 7:00 p.m. matchup in Boston, Mass.
Sophia Albright (East Dummerston, Vt.) delivered the deciding moment in overtime, scoring 34 seconds into the extra session after Norwich won the opening draw.
Caitlyn Fielder (East Calais, Vt.) controlled the draw to give the Cadets possession, and Albright capitalized quickly, beating her defender and burying the game-winner to send Norwich into the semifinal round.
"Proud is an understatement," said Head Coach
Ian Thomas '14. "This team answers the bell every time our backs are against the wall. Resilient, resilient, resilient. What a game."
Norwich received balanced scoring throughout the afternoon, led by
Breanna Ricker (Laconia, N.H.),
Vivian Buntin (Middlebury, Conn.), and
Athena Merck (West Yarmouth, Mass.), who each scored three goals.
Caitlin Slider (Thetford Center, Vt.),
Colby Magoon (Loudon, N.H.),
Tori Jarvis (South Windsor, Conn.), and Albright each added one goal apiece, while Fielder and
Izzy Sirois (Hartland, Vt.) contributed assists.
The Cadets came out flying and dictated the opening quarter. Merck opened the scoring with an unassisted tally at the 11:05 mark, and Buntin followed three minutes later to double the lead. Jarvis converted off an assist from Sirois before Merck added her second of the quarter, and Ricker capped the burst with another unassisted strike to give Norwich a commanding 5-0 lead through the opening 12 minutes.
Saint Joseph began to claw back in the second quarter, scoring four straight goals to trim the deficit to 5-4. Norwich answered at an important moment, as Magoon and Slider found the back of the net in the final three minutes of the half to restore breathing room. The Blue Jays, however, added a woman-up goal in the closing minute to send the game into halftime with Norwich holding a 7-5 edge.
"We were down a few girls today with a sickness running through the team, and everyone on the team stepped up huge, especially our three midfielders," Thomas said. "Caito, Bree, and Colby did not come off the field today. Champions adapt and overcome, no matter what the adversity."
The back-and-forth battle continued after the break. Saint Joseph opened the second half with a goal to cut the deficit to one, but Ricker answered just 34 seconds later. After another Blue Jay goal made it 8-7, Saint Joseph eventually pulled even at 8-8 on a woman-up opportunity with just over three minutes remaining in the quarter.
Norwich again had the response. Buntin scored with 50 seconds left in the third, and Ricker followed 33 seconds later to push the Cadets back in front, 10-8, entering the fourth.
Merck extended the Norwich lead to 11-8 just one minute into the final frame, but Saint Joseph would not go away. The Blue Jays scored four of the next five goals, including the equalizer with 1:28 to play, to force overtime at 12-12.
Between those scores, Buntin delivered a crucial goal off a Fielder assist with 2:52 remaining, briefly giving Norwich a 12-10 cushion before Saint Joseph mounted its final push.
"We knew that USJ would answer and string a run or two together after our fast start to the game," Thomas said. "Every time they went on a run, we were able to get the momentum back on our side and keep the lead."
In the overtime period, Norwich wasted no time seizing its chance. Fielder came through with the critical draw control immediately after the opening whistle, and Albright finished the opportunity moments later to lift the Cadets to the sudden victory win.
"Caito had a HUGE draw win in OT," Thomas said. "Soph saw the opportunity in front of her, beat her girl, and stuck her shot. The kid has ice in her veins."
Norwich held slim but important advantages in several statistical areas, including a 32-29 edge in shots, a 21-19 margin in shots on goal, and a 15-11 advantage in draw controls. The teams were even in ground balls at 16-16, while the Cadets finished 12-for-17 on clears compared to Saint Joseph's 10-for-13 mark.
Fielder led Norwich with four ground balls and six draw controls, while Ricker and Buntin each added four draw controls of their own. Magoon, Ricker, and
Abigail Kirrane (Lunenburg, Mass.) each collected two ground balls as part of a balanced effort that saw 10 different Cadets record at least one.
Defensively, Norwich produced 10 caused turnovers, with Magoon and Sirois leading the way with two each. The Cadets also came through repeatedly while defending penalties and protecting the middle of the field in key moments.
"Our defense played incredible today, and Bailey had another phenomenal game," Thomas said. "We stayed mentally tough through some very soft calls against us, and killed off many penalties."
Bailey Ingala (West Hartford, Conn.) anchored the effort in goal, earning her 10th win of the season with 11 saves over 61:34 of action, several of them coming in critical moments as Saint Joseph pushed late.
The victory also sets up a semifinal rematch that Norwich has had its eye on since early in the spring. Emmanuel claimed an 18-7 decision over the Cadets in Boston on Mar. 10, and Tuesday will offer Norwich a shot at redemption with a place in the GNAC Championship on the line.
"We have been hoping for another trip to Emmanuel since our regular season game back in early March," Thomas said. "We left a lot on the table in that game and are excited for another opportunity in Boston with the winner advancing to Championship Day. Roll Wick."
