Box Score
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Ellie Shihadeh (Malvern, PA/Conestoga) scored two goals and added an assist to lead No. 1 Gettysburg to an 8-4 victory over No. 6 Amherst in the NCAA Regional Final on Saturday.
The victory was a historic win for Gettysburg (20-0). The Bullets advanced to the NCAA semifinals for the first time in program history. Gettysburg also set a program record of 20 victories in a season, surpassing the mark of 19 set by the 2003 squad. The Bullets are now 5-5 all-time in the NCAA tournament.
Shihadeh netted the 100th goal of her career, and Jenn Kelly (Westbury, NY/Carle Place) had a four-point day with one goal and three assists. Kelly extends her consecutive-game points streak to 36 games, and she tallied at least four points for the 13th time this season. Also leading Gettysburg's offense was Krissy Browning (Fallston, MD/Baldwin) with two goals and Katie Ceglarski (Darien, CT /Darien) with one goal and two assists.
After playing 15 minutes of scoreless lacrosse to start the game, Shihadeh put Gettysburg on the scoreboard first. On a fast break, Kelly fed Shihadeh in front of the net, and she put the ball past Amherst (14-4) goalie Linda McEvoy to give the Bullets a 1-0 lead.
Amherst tied the game four minutes later when Amy Craig found the back of the net off a pass from Alyssa Briody. Gettysburg quickly answered with a goal from Ceglarski off a feed from Kelly.
Mary Noonan tied the game at 2-2 with 7:23 left in the first on an unassisted strike. However, Gettysburg retaliated with two goals before the halftime whistle. Browning netted a goal off a pass from Ceglarski, and Megan Moore (Chestertown, MD/Gunston Day School) scored an unassisted goal to give the Bullets a 4-2 halftime lead.
Browning scored what would prove to be game-winner just 3:19 into the second half. She lined up for a free position shot and bounced the ball into the cage for a 5-2 advantage.
Maddie Hoeg tallied an unassisted goal just two minutes later to close the gap to 5-3, but Gettysburg rallied to take a 7-3 lead. In the span of 39 seconds, Kelly and Shihadeh scored back-to-back goals. Shihadeh's strike came with 19:58 left in the game.
In a battle of two stingy defenses, both teams were held scoreless for over 17 minutes of play until Hoeg cut the lead to 7-4 with less than four minutes left in the game.
Jen Betts (Potomac, MD/Academy of the Holy Cross) scored a late insurance goal off a feed from Kelly with 28 seconds left in the game to give Gettysburg the 8-4 victory.
Heather Kelley (Berwyn, PA/Conestoga) made seven saves in her historic 20th win of the season. Ceglarski had a game-high five groundballs and a game-high three caused turnovers in the victory.
Gettysburg advances to the NCAA semifinals held Saturday and Sunday at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J. On Saturday at 11:30 a.m., the Bullets will play the winner of tomorrow's regional final between Cortland St. and Franklin & Marshall.
| Score by Half |
1 |
2 |
- |
F |
| No. 6 Amherst (14-4) |
2 |
2 |
- |
4 |
| No. 1 Gettysburg (20-0) |
4 |
4 |
- |
8 |
Goals:
Gettysburg: Ellie Shihadeh 2, Krissy Browning 2, Jenn Kelly 1, Katie Ceglarski 1, Jen Betts 1, Megan Moore 1.
Amherst: Maddie Hoeg 2, Mary Noonan 1, Amy Craig 1.
Assists:
Gettysburg: Jenn Kelly 3, Katie Ceglarski 2, Ellie Shihadeh 1.
Amherst: Alyssa Briody 1.
Goalies: G (Heather Kelley – 60:00, 7 saves, 4 GA), A (Linda McEvoy – 60:00, 6 saves, 8 GA).
-30-
