Cal Rallies, Then Holds Off Tribe For 11-10 Victory

Three For W&M Each Score Two Goals

03/15/07 7:45PM

Berkeley, Calif. - California-Berkeley erased a three-goal deficit late in the second half, then held off a furious William and Mary rally in the final two minutes to pull out an 11-10 victory over the Tribe Thursday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.

W&M (1-4) came out on the short end of a one-goal margin for the second time this season in dropping its third straight. Julia Martin (Woodside, Calif.), playing in her home state, scored a pair of goals and added an assist for the Tribe, and Kristen Wong (Richmond, Va.) also tallied three points on two goals and an assist. Freshman Mary Zulty (Jarrettsville, Md.) found the net twice as well.

Cal (5-1) won its second-straight behind three second-half goals from Tighe Hutchins’ and two from Liz Reifsnyder to even the all-time series in the second meeting between the programs. Laura Cavallo scored three first-half goals, and goalkeeper Hilary Lynch made four huge saves in the final period for the Golden Bears.

The Tribe took a 9-6 lead on Wong’s second goal with 16:36 remaining in the contest. Cal had just trimmed the margin to 8-6 on Hutchins’ first marker, before Wong scooped the resulting draw control and blazed to the goal down the right side. After shaking a pair of defenders, Wong hammered home her second to push the lead back to three.

From there though, the Tribe’s attack ran out of steam against Lynch and the physical Bears’ defense, while Cal ripped off five-straight at the other end to take the lead. Hutchins scored consecutive goals to cut the deficit to 9-8 with 14:13 remaining, before the Tribe just missed on a golden opportunity to once again answer. Lynch went after a loose ball in front of the cage, but left her circle in the attempt. Martin prevailed out of the scrum with the ball for the Tribe, though the sophomore’s try at the open goal just missed by a few inches wide on the left side.

Cal gained the equalizer on its next possession when Brittany Aungier found the net just outside of the 10-minute mark. Reifsnyder scored her first just over a minute later to give Cal its first lead of the second half, 10-9, then scored the eventual game-winner unassisted with 2:22 remaining.

W&M didn’t go down without a fight, however, as Ashley Bolton (Narbeth, Pa.) came up with a pair of critical draw controls to aid the Tribe rally. Bolton, a defender, snared the first and sprinted into the offensive third to set up possession for W&M. Lynch turned away two Tribe shots under the two-minute mark, but the second rebound caromed out in front of the goal. Desperately trying to get another shot, Jaime Sellers (Kennebunk, Maine) alertly swatted the bouncing ball back through a crowd at Lynch and into the goal with 39 seconds on the clock to cut it to 11-10.

Bolton once again was in the right spot for the Tribe on the draw, setting up another W&M possession and a dramatic finish. The Tribe got off two shots in the final 20 seconds, though both attempts sailed wide. Lynch actually beat the Tribe attack to the back line after the second shot, but in her attempt to run out the clock after a restart, Sellers and Martin double-teamed and caused a turnover. Martin tossed the ball in front as the final seconds ticked off, but the Cal defense prevented another shot attempt and sealed the victory.

The late forced turnover was one of a number of key defensive plays by the Tribe attack in the second half. Kara Parker (Phoenix, Md.) also caused a turnover on a failed Cal clearing attempt to set up Zulty’s second goal that gave W&M a 7-5 lead at the 21:45 mark of the period. Dolly Williams (Richmond, Va.) scored an unassisted goal that extended the lead to 8-5 four minutes later, before Hutchins’ marker.

Martin’s consecutive goals in the first half gave the Tribe a 3-1 advantage during a low-scoring, back-and-forth opening half. Clare Dennis (Catonsville, Md.) converted a free-position attempt to score the Tribe’s first goal, before Martin’s tallies gave W&M a two-goal cushion with 13:18 remaining in the period. The teams continued to battle at both ends, before Cavallo jump-started a 3-0 run by the Bears. Her second came with 5:03 on the clock, and the third, which followed an Aungier goal, gave Cal a 4-3 lead with just 1:41 left before the break.

Wong, who was credited with two ground balls, three draw controls and a caused turnover, scored her first only 30 seconds later after a draw control by Anne Harrington (Alexandria, Va.). Martin corralled the ensuing draw for W&M and feathered a perfect pass to a streaking Zulty, who had slipped behind the Cal defense on the restart. Zulty outraced the entire field and beat Lynch one-on-one only 11 seconds after Wong’s goal to give the Tribe a 5-4 edge at the half.

W&M held a 14-9 advantage on draw controls, including 8-5 in the second half, behind Wong and Bolton. Williams and freshman Katie Rees (Catonsville, Md.) also had a pair of draws for the Tribe.

The Tribe’s spring break California trip concludes on Saturday, as W&M will visit St. Mary’s at noon (Pacific).

Box Score

W&M Scoring: Martin 2, Zulty 2, Wong 2, Dennis, Williams, Sellers, Parker
Cal Scoring: Cavallo 3, Hutchins 3, Reifsnyder 2, Aungier, Dale.
W – Lynch (5 saves) L – Beckstead (7 saves)