Tribe Lacrosse Cruises Past Drexel, 16-5

Dalon, Fitzgerald, Vitrano Power Attack, Roth Records 10 Saves for W&M

04/08/05 9:05PM

Williamsburg - Junior All-American candidate attacker Colleen Dalon (Moorestown, NJ) scored a game-high four goals for the fourth time this season and added three assists, and freshman goalkeeper Amanda Roth (Bethesda, MD) tied her career-high with 10 saves to lead William and Mary past Drexel, 16-5, in a Colonial Athletic Association women’s lacrosse contest Friday evening at Busch Field.

After the start of the game was delayed nearly two hours because of lightening and heavy rain in the Williamsburg area, the Tribe came out and used a potent offensive attack and overpowering defense to pick up the crucial conference victory, improving to 2-1 in the CAA and 5-6 overall. The win also extended the College’s home winning streak to three games and its record at Busch Field to an outstanding 5-1 this season. Drexel drops to 1-3 in the league, 8-3 overall.

On what turned into a chilly, damp and blustery evening, the Dragons struck first less than a minute into the contest, as Gwenna Johnson scored an unassisted goal just 52 seconds after the opening whistle. But, with what would become a common theme, W&M controlled the ensuing draw and quickly began to operate in its offensive zone. Just 26 seconds later, senior preseason All-American Morgan Watkins (Fort Washington, PA) fed a cutting senior Becca Hall (Ft. Belvoir, VA) near the top of the crease, and Hall fired a low shot into the back of the net to erase the Dragons’ only lead of the game.

Sophomore midfielder Kristen Wong (Richmond, VA) set up the Tribe’s next tally with a timely ground ball pickup, one of her three in the contest. Wong raced nearly the entire length of the field after gaining possession and flipped a perfect pass in stride to Dalon, who buried her first goal from the right side with 25:39 remaining to put the Tribe up 2-1. After a Wong draw control, Dalon eventually assisted on junior attacker La Nolan’s (Ruxton, MD) success at the 24:42 mark that made it 3-1. Sophomore midfielder Emily Vitrano (Cockeysville, MD) corralled an opportune ground ball on a failed Drexel clearing attempt a minute later to give it back to the College, and Dalon dished to sophomore Jamie Fitzgerald (Jenkintown, PA), who knocked home the first of three goals with 23:12 left in the first to give W&M a 4-1 cushion.

After a Drexel timeout, the Dragons gained possession and looked to stop the Tribe’s momentum, but Roth set up shop be-tween the pipes and preserved the three-goal margin with a pair of saves. Drexel, however, finally broke though after a costly Tribe turnover, as Caterina Carafides found the net on an assist from Katie Bradley with 16:46 remaining before the break. But, Wong recorded another draw control on the resulting reset, and just over a minute later Vitrano scored the first of her three goals on a free-position shot at the 15:18 mark to push the advantage back to three, 5-2.

W&M continued to pepper the Drexel goal, but Dragons’ netminder Kristin Urian kept the visitors in the contest with three saves before Drexel could regain possession. Junior all-conference midfielder Morgan Lang (Westfield, NJ) quickly gave the Tribe another touch after a caused turnover, but another W&M turnover handed it right back to Drexel. With the Dragons now threatening in their offensive end, Roth again came up with a pair of sparkling stops and then scooped up a ground ball to control possession for the Tribe. The College would patiently work its attack over the next several minutes, and Fitzgerald rung up her second tally with 2:01 left in the first when she scooped a loose ball of the slick turf into an open net to give W&M a 6-2 lead. Although Drexel con-trolled the following draw, another Lang caused turnover gave it back to W&M, and Watkins tacked on another score with 28 sec-onds remaining on an assist from Lang to send the Tribe to break with a 7-2 advantage.

The second half started much like the opening period, as Drexel’s Emily Hoesch scored an unassisted goal 2:33 into the frame to make it 7-3, but the Tribe responded with a 7-0 scoring run over the next 17 minutes to pull away. Dalon banged home a free-position goal at the 24:09 mark, and after a Vitrano draw control Fitzgerald completed the hat trick only 14 seconds later with her third goal with 23:55 remaining. Less than 40 seconds later, Vitrano took a nifty pass from Hall in traffic and whipped a shot past Urian with 23:17 left on the clock to put W&M on top 10-3. Vitrano gathered another draw for the Tribe, which led to another free-position goal for Dalon at the 22:20 mark to make it 11-3.

Drexel’s Sarah Carter recorded the Dragons’ lone draw control of the second half on the ensuing reset, but another Roth save and a ground ball from freshman Lauren Coll (Phoenixville, PA) put it back with the Tribe. W&M dominated possession with a 12-1 advantage in draw controls in the final 30 minutes and held a 17-6 margin overall. Dalon took advantage for her fourth goal of the game, an unassisted marker with 19:29 remaining to push the lead to 12-3.

Freshman Jamie Sellers (Kennebunk, ME) got in on the act with a free-position goal just over a minute later, striking the net with 18:26 to make it 13-3. With much of the second-half action in the Tribe’s offensive third, Roth stayed sharp at the other end with three more saves when Drexel did mount scoring opportunities. After another Roth ground ball, W&M quickly sent the action back to the Drexel end, and Dalon assisted on Vitrano’s third goal at the 10:47 mark to pad the Tribe’s lead to 14-3. At that point, Roth gave way to junior Debby Petracca (Manhasset, NY) after recording a career-high tying 10 saves and four ground balls. It was Roth’s third game this season with 10 saves, as the rookie improved to 5-3 on the year.

After a Drexel goal by Jennifer Bonini, Tribe freshman Laura Lindsay (Bryn Mawr, PA) tallied her first career goal on an assist from Sellers with 1:29 remaining, and sophomore Kara Parker (Phoenix, MD) set the final margin with a free-position goal with 24 seconds left on the clock.

Lang paced the defense with two caused turnovers, while Hall and Wong each forced one. Vitrano and Wong each added three ground balls and three draw controls apiece, and Dalon chipped in three more ground balls and a pair of draw controls. Dalon was a one point shy of her career-high of eight, which she set earlier this season in a 19-9 win over UMBC.

W&M hosts another important CAA contest this weekend, as 10th-ranked and league-leading Hofstra (4-0) visits Busch Field on Sunday at 12 noon.

Box Score