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Lia Winter PANTHERS RUN WITH IT


Pittsburgh title suggests shift in WCLA landscape


By Paul Ohanian P


erhaps it’s too soon to say there is a continental drift coming in the WCLA. Then again, with Pittsburgh becoming just the second team


east of the Mississippi to win the WCLA Division I championship in the 14-year history of the US Lacrosse event, maybe the landscape is indeed changing. The Panthers secured their fi rst


national title May 10 with a hard-fought 12-11 victory over Boston College. Top-seeded Pittsburgh used a fi ve-goal run over nine minutes of the fi rst half to claim the lead, then withstood a late comeback attempt by the 15th-seeded Eagles to cap a 21-1 season. “Everybody had the same goal because


we’ve been dreaming of this since last year,” said midfi elder Grace Gallagher, one of 11 seniors on the team. A year ago, the Panthers entered the national tournament as the No. 8 seed but fell to eventual champion Colorado State in the quarterfi nals. This year, as champions of the


Women’s Collegiate Lacrosse League and the No. 1 overall seed, the hunters turned into the hunted. In seven previous tournament appearances, the Panthers never made it past the quarterfi nals. “We’ve had more of a team emphasis


this year than any other year,” said senior Clare Sherry, who had two goals and two assists in the championship game and was named to the all-tournament team, along with teammates Julie McKay and Allison Tizio.


A Publication of US Lacrosse Pittsburgh breezed past Oregon


State, which was making its fi rst WCLA tournament appearance, with a 20-6 victory in the fi rst round and then edged Michigan 11-9. In the semifi nal against UCLA, the last


of the West Coast teams, the Panthers trailed by one goal late in the fi rst half before going on a seven-goal run to win 11-7. “That’s the way we play,” Pittsburgh coach Gary Neft said. “We need those runs, and we got it.” For the fi rst time in the history of


the championship, the WCLA fi nal featured two East Coast teams. Boston College scripted its Cinderella run to the championship game with upsets of second-seeded Florida, 10th-seeded UC Santa Barbara and third-seeded Ohio State. With her game-high fi ve goals, Meghan Conley kept the Eagles in it. “We knew they wouldn’t go away,”


Neft said. “They like to play like we do. We like the fast pace.” Conley’s fi fth goal with 3:10 remaining


pulled the Eagles within one. But the Panthers regained possession and went into preservation mode. Despite their preference for fast play, this lead was one worth nursing. “In that situation, we want to hold


the ball, but then you risk losing your momentum,” Neft said. “It’s a tough decision to make. Should we go to goal or not?” Having an experienced team made


the difference. “They didn’t panic under pressure and


did a great job of keeping their poise,” Neft said. “Being the favorite was a new experience for us.” Afterward, East Coast or West Coast


didn’t seem to matter. That winning feeling is universal. LM


UNC CLUB WINS BACK D-II TITLE


If there is a geographical power shift underway in the WCLA, it’s clearly reached the Division II ranks already. Fueled by the strength of the Mid Atlantic Women’s Lacrosse League (MAWLL), East Coast teams have been well represented since the Division II championship was initiated in 2010.


This year was no different, with the past two champions — North Carolina Club (2012) and James Madison Club (2013) — meeting in the fi nal and all four semifi nal slots fi lled exclusively by East Coasters from the MAWLL. In the championship game, the top-seeded


Tar Heels scored the game’s fi nal three goals to rally for a 10-9 victory, fi nishing off an undefeated 15-0 season with their second US Lacrosse WCLA Division II national title in three years.


North Carolina’s Sarah McCullough, who a month earlier scored in overtime to sink James Madison in the MAWLL fi nal, capped the comeback on an isolation play with 1:53 remaining.


Despite the loss, James Madison established a new scoring record for the tournament, with 73 goals in four games.


— P.O.


AMTAHCHA AWARDS


Division I


Kelly Arnhart, Georgia The two- time All- American defender led


Georgia to a 17-6


regular


season record during which the Bulldogs allowed just 7.35 goals per game.


Division II Audrey Wang UC San Diego


The All-American attacker scored 65 goals to go with 11 assists during a perfect 14-0


regular


season for the Tritons.


The Amtahcha and Godekeraw Awards


were established in 2012 by a gift from Dr. Larry Feldman, founder of LaxPower.com, to the US Lacrosse Foundation, honoring the top WCLA and MCLA players, respectively .


July 2014 >> LACROSSE MAGAZINE 51


©SAM OWENS(LW, SM); ©CECIL COPELAND (KA); ©PAUL OHANIAN (AW)


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