Box Score
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Junior captain Katie Hagan (Media, PA/Cardinal O'Hara) scored three times to help No. 1 Gettysburg claw back from a 5-1 deficit to defeat No. 8 Franklin & Marshall, 8-6, in the 2006 Centennial Conference (CC) championship game on Sunday afternoon at Clark Field. The conference title is Gettysburg's fifth in a row and sixth CC title overall. The Bullets also clinched the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III tournament, which begins on Wednesday, May 10.
The Diplomats (13-4) scored four unanswered goals over a 10-minute span in the middle of the first half, but the Bullets (18-0) rallied for the last two goals of the period and a total of five straight to take their first lead of the game midway through the second.
Hagan and senior midfielder Jenn Kelly (Westbury, NY/Carle Place), who had a goal and two assists, tied for the game high with three points each. Kelly now has 80 points for the season, giving her the eighth-highest single-season total in school history, and she is tied for ninth on the Gettysburg career scoring list with 176. Senior goalie Heather Kelley (Berwyn, PA/Conestoga) made 11 saves in the game, while allowing six goals, each by a different player. Franklin & Marshall was led by freshman midfielder Sarah Meisenberg who had one goal and one assist.
Franklin & Marshall started the scoring just 3:33 into the game when junior midfielder Kelly Cassels converted a pass from Meisenberg into a 1-0 lead. The Bullets evened the score 4:26 later. Kelly had the ball behind the net and fed sophomore attacker Krissy Browning (Baldwin, MD/Fallston) directly in front of the crease. All in one motion, Browning caught it and went top shelf on Diplomats' senior goalie Kamissa Mort, but it would be all Franklin & Marshall for the next 16 minutes.
The Diplomats were able to limit most of Gettysburg's possessions to one shot or force a turnover in that stretch, and the visitors took advantage of three free position attempts. Meisenberg also scored unassisted to give Franklin & Marshall a 5-1 lead.
Hagan put a halt to the run and gave the Bullets a boost with a free position goal of her own at the 25:54 mark. Gettysburg regained possession after a turnover with 30 seconds left on the clock, and sophomore midfielder Katie Ceglarski (Darien, CT/Darien) ran end-to-end, nearly uncontested, and fired a one-hop shot that got by Mort, but ricocheted off the left post. Sophomore attacker Megan Moore (Chestertown, MD/Gunston Day School) corralled the ground ball, circled around the net and found a wide-open Ellie Shihadeh (Malvern, PA/Conestoga) in front of the net. Shihadeh scored with just 19 seconds to play before halftime, giving the Bullets the momentum despite trailing by a 5-3 count.
Gettysburg continued down the comeback trail in the second half, scoring the first three goals of the period. Junior attacker Jen Betts (Potomac, MD/Academy of the Holy Cross) netted an unassisted goal at 2:17, and Hagan followed with her second free position score of the game nearly five minutes later to tie the game at 5-5. Kelly completed the run with a phenomenal individual effort at the 13:34 mark. She gained control of the ball about 15 yards out to Mort's right and knifed through traffic, coming across the crease to make a diving shot that gave the Bullets their first lead of the day.
With under 10 minutes to play, Franklin & Marshall senior attacker Kristen Foster took a shot that was saved by Kelley. The rebound came directly to a well-positioned Shannon Summers in front of the crease, where she picked up the ground ball and scored to tie the game at 6-6.
Gettysburg would get the lead for good 3:38 later when Kelly assisted on Ceglarski's first goal of the day. The Diplomats managed two shots on goal the rest of the way, but Kelley saved them both, including a free position attempt by Summers with just 2:07 showing on the clock. The Bullets then successfully cleared their own end and used crisp passing to evade the Diplomat defense. With Mort out of the crease in an attempt to pressure Gettysburg into a turnover, Hagan split a pair of defenders and took a pass from Shihadeh near the eight-meter line. Hagan scored on a wide-open net to complete her hat trick and seal the victory.
The Bullets will now await the NCAA tournament selection show, which will take place next Sunday night at 9 p.m. The show will be broadcast on CSTV. The network is available on local cable systems throughout the country and is also available on Dish Network channel 152 and DirecTV channel 610.
| Score by Half |
1 |
2 |
- |
F |
| No. 8 Franklin & Marshall (13-4) |
5 |
1 |
- |
6 |
| No. 1 Gettysburg (18-0) |
3 |
5 |
- |
8 |
Goals:
Franklin & Marshall: Kelly Cassels 1, Kristen Foster 1, Sarah Meisenberg 1, Catherine Onnen 1, Jen Pritchard 1, Shannon Summers 1.
Gettysburg: Katie Hagan 3, Jen Betts 1, Krissy Browning 1, Katie Ceglarski 1, Jenn Kelly 1, Ellie Shihadeh 1.
Assists:
Franklin & Marshall: Meisenberg 1.
Gettysburg: Kelly 2, Megan Moore 1, Shihadeh 1.
Goalies: F (Kamissa Mort – 60:00, 5 saves, 8 GA); G (Heather Kelley – 60:00, 11 saves, 6 GA).
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