Adelphi University
National Rank: No. 3
Overall Record: 17-1
Northeast-10 Conference:
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 7
NCAA Tournament Record: 7-2
NCAA Championships: 3 (2004, 2006, 2009)
Head Coach: Joe Spallina (3rd Season, 51-2)
Adelphi University ran the table last year (18-0) and captured its third national championship, the most of any Division II program. In last year’s tournament, Adelphi defeated two of this year’s semifinal teams, beating C.W. Post 15-10 in the national semifinal before knocking off Lock Haven 16-4, to claim the national title.
With 23 letterwinners returning, including three first-team All-Americans, Adelphi began this season with a big target on its back, earning a unanimous pre-season No. 1 ranking from the IWLCA. The Panthers won the first 14 games of their 2010 campaign, pushing their win streak to 32, with no game being closer than seven goals. On May 1, then-No. 2 C.W. Post upset top-ranked Adelphi 21-16, handing the Panthers their first loss in almost two years. Adelphi rebounded by winning the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament on May 9 with a come-from-behind 14-13 overtime win over Stonehill in the championship game. The two teams would meet for a third time as both earned national tournament berths with Adelphi hosting Stonehill in the opening game. The Panthers came out strong, scoring the first four goals, and never trailed, claiming a 15-10 decision and earning their third consecutive trip to the Final Four.
Adelphi is ranked first in the nation in points (603), scoring offense (21.5 gpg), scoring margin (14.56 gpg) caused turnovers (17.44 cpg), and ground balls (36.72 gpg) while ranking fifth in scoring defense (6.94 GAA) and fourth in draw controls (16.5 dpg). Their offense is led by sophomore
Claire Peterson who has scored 46 goals and dished out 76 assists and leads the nation in points per game (6.78) and assists per game (4.22). Junior
Elizabeth Fey and sophomore
Erica Devito rank first and second on the team in goals with 56 and 53, respectively, and are tied for second on the team in points with 75. Senior
Caitlin Fitzpatrick has started every game in goal and ranks second in the nation in both GAA (7.17) and save percentage (.584).
C.W. Post
National Rank: No. 1
Overall Record: 17-1
East Coast Conference:
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 9
NCAA Tournament Record: 6-6
NCAA Championships: 2 (2001, 2007)
Head Coach: Meghan McNamara (3rd Season, 50-6)
C.W. Post is making its ninth appearance in the national tournament, the most of any Division II program in the tournament’s 10-year history. Last season the Pioneers advanced to the national semifinals before falling to eventual national champion, Adelphi.
C.W. Post began their 2010 campaign with 10 consecutive victories, none of which was closer than a nine-goal margin. On April 17, the Pioneers traveled to Lock Haven. In the battle of unbeatens, C.W. Post rallied from a five-goal second-half deficit to force overtime, but fell 11-10 in the extra session. The Pioneers bounced back as they ran off four straight double-digit victories, including a 23-11 victory over then No. 7 Stonehill. On May 1, they traveled to Adelphi for a rematch of last season’s national championship and ended the No. 1 team’s 32-game winning streak with a 21-16 win. The Pioneers saw no letdown as they took care of East Coast Conference (ECC) foe Dowling in their final regular season game, clinching the ECC Championship. The Pioneers received a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament and will see their first tournament action in the semifinals with another rematch with Adelphi.
C.W. Post is ranked second in the nation in points (493), second in scoring offense (19.65 gpg), second in scoring margin (13.18 gpg), third in scoring defense (6.47 GAA), and third in draw controls (16.65 dpg). Senior
Staci Passafiume leads the Pioneers with 70 points on 28 goals and 42 assists. Sophomore
Ashley Olen has scored a team-leading 61 goals, and she is followed by sophomore
Lauren Spagnoletta (47) and senior
Brianne Jackolski (45). Freshman
Dominique Mosca has started every game between the pipes for the Pioneers and is third in the nation in GAA (7.42) and 10th in save percentage (.500).
Lock Haven
National Rank: No. 2
Overall Record: 16-1
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference:
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 4
NCAA Tournament Record: 2-3
NCAA Championships: None
Head Coach: Kristen Selvage (9th Season, 119-46)
Lock Haven is making its fourth showing in the NCAA Tournament and began its 2010 season coming off of its first national championship appearance in school history.
After easily winning its opening game, Lock Haven was set to face off against its 2009 national semifinal opponent, No. 4 Limestone, in its second contest. Limestone appeared to be on the verge of revenging last season’s 13-12 loss to Lock Haven as it led 10-9 in the closing minutes, but the Lady Eagles scored two goals in the final two minutes to claim an 11-10 victory. Lock Haven continued to play some of the top national teams: it defeated then No. 10 Gannon, 18-6, on March 17 and won a rematch on the road, 17-15, on April 7 by scoring four of the game’s final five goals; it defeated then-No. 5 Mercyhurst, 13-9, on April 3 and two weeks later knocked off then-No. 2 C.W. Post 11-10 in overtime after scoring with 1:01 left in regulation to tie the game. After winning its first 14 contests, Lock Haven finally saw its luck come to an end in close games as it lost a rematch to No. 5 Mercyhurst, 11-10, on April 24 in its regular season finale. The Lady Eagles showed their resiliency by advancing to the PSAC Championship where they defeated No. 6 West Chester, 16-6, and recorded their sixth win against a top-10 this season. Such a strong resume earned the Lady Eagles a first round bye in the NCAA Tournament and a berth in the semifinals.
Lock Haven enters tournament play ranking third in points (487) and scoring offense (18.41 gpg), fourth in scoring defense (6.88 GAA) and scoring margin (11.53 gpg), eighth in ground balls (25.53 gpg), ninth in caused turnovers (11.47 cpg), and tenth in draw controls (14.94 dpg). Senior midfielder
Leigh Titus, the PSAC Player of the Year, leads Lock Haven with 69 goals and sits second on the team with 87 points. Junior
Allison Berger leads the Lady Eagles with 90 points, ranking seventh in the nation in points per game (5.29) with 41 goals and 49 assists. On the defensive end, junior
Katie Zichelli leads the country in both caused turnovers (3.65 cpg) and ground balls (4.65 gpg). Senior
Kira Nuttall has started every game in net for Lock Haven and ranks fourth in GAA (7.77) and fifth in save percentage (.512).
West Chester
National Rank: No. 5
Overall Record: 18-1
Pennsylvania Athletic Conference:
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 8
NCAA Tournament Record: 10-5
NCAA Championships: 2 (2002, 2008)
Head Coach: Ginny Martino (13 Season, 190-41)
After reaching the national championship game for five consecutive years, West Chester failed to qualify for the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
The Golden Rams certainly appeared motivated to get back to the tournament as they came through their 16-game regular season schedule without a loss. Their two closest contests came in early April two days apart. On April 8, they hosted eighth-ranked Dowling, and actually trailed at one point in the overtime session, but came through with a 12-11 triple overtime victory. Stunningly, the Golden Rams won by an identical score on April 10 when they won at No. 9 Gannon, 12-11, in triple overtime. They had a rematch with Gannon in the PSAC Semifinal and trailed late in the second half, but closed the game on a 5-1 run over the final six minutes to sneak out with a 19-18 victory. West Chester saw its undefeated season come to an end in the PSAC Championship when it fell to then No. 3 Lock Haven 16-6. The Golden Rams received a berth in the national tournament where they were matched up with third-ranked Limestone in the opening round. Trailing 10-7 in the second half, West Chester rallied to tie the game at 11, setting up the game’s dramatic finish. Junior
Claire Grimwood scored on a free-position attempt with two seconds remaining in regulation, setting off a wild celebration and securing West Chester its eighth appearance in the national semifinals. The Golden Rams will have an opportunity to seek revenge for their lone loss of the season as they are set to play Lock Haven in the Final Four.
West Chester enters the weekend ranked seventh in the nation in points (441), 10th in scoring offense (15.95 gpg), ninth in scoring defense (9.37 GAA), ninth in scoring margin (6.58 gpg), and fifth in caused turnovers (12.26 cpg). The Golden Rams have eight players that have scored at least 23 goals, led by senior
Nicole Haines’ 48 goals and 66 points. Grimwood sits second on the team in both goals (46) and points (61). Sophomore
MacKenzie O’Keefe has been West Chester’s primary option in net and she currently ranks tenth in the country with a 9.91 GAA.
