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May 7, 2008

Babson Women's Lacrosse Earns First-Ever NCAA Tournament Victory With 19-10 Win At Trinity

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Just two days after getting bumped two spots in the national rankings without losing a contest, the 12th-ranked Babson College women's lacrosse team send a resounding message with a dominating 19-10 triumph over new number-10 Trinity College in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Division III Championship Tournament at Trinity's Sheppard Field on Wednesday.

With their second victory over the Bantams this season and their first-ever NCAA Tournament win, the Beavers (16-2) set a new program record for victories in a season. Babson will now face its toughest test of the year in the team's second straight Regional Semifinal appearance, as the Green and White will head back to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to face third-ranked Franklin & Marshall College on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. The Beavers fell to Mary Washington, 18-14, at F&M after receiving a first-round bye last spring - their inaugural trip to the NCAA Tourney.

Junior 2007 All-American Jackie Godfrey (Franklin, Mass.) was once again outstanding in the win over Trinity (11-7), as she amassed three goals, four assists, five groundballs, and two caused turnovers. Senior tri-captain and 2007 All-American Anita Martignetti (Winchester, Mass.) also had a big game with four goals, one assist, four groundballs, and three CTs, while sophomore Kaitlyn Pettengill (Hopkinton, Mass.) added three goals, one assist, and three groundballs. The Beavers also received brilliant performances from a pair of rookies, as first-year Sam Sulliman (Rye, N.Y.) recorded two goals and a team-high three draw controls and classmate Sarah Macary (Woodbury, Conn.) stopped 10 shots in goal.

Trinity jumped in front early when first-year attack Caitlin Irvine scored on a free position 5:21 into the contest, but Babson would answer by scoring three straight, seven of the next eight, and nine of the next 11 to build a 9-3 lead. Martignetti got the Beavers going early, scoring a pair of goals at 6:10 and 9:13, while junior Lindsay Bucci (Medford, Mass.) added a tally in between at 8:14 and another at 11:53. Sulliman, sophomore Anna Collins (Winchester, Mass.), and Pettengill also scored during the run, while Godfrey netted a goal and assisted on three others.

The Bantams' quick-striking offense cut the deficit in half with three straight goals in a 43-second span, as Caitlin Irvine scored at 24:43, Rachel Romanowsky followed at 25:06, and Christy Bradley made it 9-6 at 25:26. However, Martignetti ended the run with a goal at 26:21, and Collins tacked on another at 28:52 to give Babson an 11-6 advantage at the break.

Trinity once again struck quickly in the second half, with CJ Yanofsky netting back-to-back scores at :11 and :53 seconds to make it an 11-8 affair. However, that would be as close as the Bantams would get the rest of the way, as Macary stopped eight of the final 10 shots that she faced to shut down the hosts' powerful offense. Meanwhile, Babson closed with a 8-2 run over the final 28 minutes, including four straight scores over a 10-minute span midway through the period, to run away with the 19-10 victory. Godfrey and Pettengill each struck twice in the second half, while Sulliman and junior Jess Parker (Cataumet, Mass.) each added their second goal of the game. Bucci also netted a goal during the game-clinching run - her third of the afternoon.

Babson's defensive unit continued to come up big in front of Macary, as senior tri-captain Bethany Nardone (Duxbury, Mass.), junior Kate Nichols (Andover, Mass.), and senior tri-captain Brianne Carlson (Wolfeboro, N.H.) combined for five caused turnovers. Parker also played well, causing three Trinity miscues from the attack position.

Senior goalie Michelle Smith finished with seven saves in net for the Bantams, while classmate Anne Cook added a game-high six draw controls. Irvine paced the Trinity offense with four goals and two assists, Yanofsky chipped in with three scores, and Romanowsky finished with a pair of goals.