Gators Advance to NCAC Championship

May 5, 2006

Boxscore
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GRANVILLE, Ohio – For the second time in three years, Allegheny College has advanced to the championship game of the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament, setting the school single season win total with nine. The Gators trailed Ohio Wesleyan 6-4 at halftime, before out-scoring the Bishops 5-1 in the second half en route to the 9-7 victory.

Allegheny’s Emily Deering (Hollis, Maine/Bonny Eagle) led off the scoring in the game with a goal just over five minutes into the contest, before the Bishops, the second seed in the tournament, scored the next three, taking a 3-1 lead. The team’s two Ashley’s, Hughes (Wexford/North Allegheny) and Rogerson (Fairport, N.Y.) each scored a goal, knotting the game at three apiece with 6:47 to play in the first half. Ohio Wesleyan ended the first half strong, scoring three of the final four goals of the half, with Rogerson’s second goal of the game interrupting the scoring run.

Trailing by two heading into the second half, the Gator offense erupted, while the defense tightened, as Allegheny scored the next four goals of the game, with Laura Hoch (Moon Township/Sewickley Academy) (right) leading off the scoring 5:11 into the second period.

Back-to-back goals from Hughes and Rogerson put the Gators ahead by one with 15:19 to play before Hughes scored her third goal of the game, the eventual game-winner, putting Allegheny ahead 8-6. OWU scored their first and only goal of the second half with just under nine minutes to play in the game, before the Blue and Gold added an insurance goal from Hoch with 2:19 to play, clinching the win for the Blue and Gold.

Goalkeeper Leslie Stange (Murrysville/Franklin Regional) (left) picked up the win for the Gators, stopping 14 shots and allowing just the seven goals, a save percentage of .667. Lindsay Vance (East Aurora, N.Y.) picked up four ground balls to lead the team, while Deering and Stange each had a trio of groundballs. Deering was the team leader in draw controls with four, while Vance and Deering caused three and two turnovers, respectively.

The Gators next take the field tomorrow, as the team plays for the NCAC Tournament championship and a berth into the NCAA Division III Championships against the host Big Red of Denison University, who upset #1 seed Wooster 10-7 in the first game of the afternoon. Start time for the game is at 3:00 p.m. in Granville.

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