W&M Falls to Delaware, 2-1, in Double-OT CAA Semifinal Game

11/08/03 5:58PM

NORFOLK, VA - William and Mary’s field hockey team lost a 2-1 heartbreaker to Delaware in double overtime in the semifinal round of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament this afternoon at Foreman Field.

The loss drops the Tribe’s record to 12-6, while the Blue Hens improve to 14-6 on the season.

Neither team was able to score in the opening period, in which the two sides combined for eight shots. W&M quickly ended the drought coming out of halftime, as sophomore midfielder Shannon Karl (Centreville, VA) sent a crossing pass to senior forward Jordan Steele (Williamsburg, VA) who scored her team-leading 13th goal of the season just 37 seconds into the second half.

Despite several solid scoring chances for the Blue Hens in the second period, the Tribe appeared to have the game won, until UD scored the game-tying goal with just 41.3 seconds remaining in regulation. The Blue Hens were playing with a one-player advantage, due to a yellow card given earlier to W&M senior defender Kelli Duggan (Williamsburg, VA), and sent the contest to overtime on a score by Katie Evans.

W&M was unable to get off a shot in the first 15-minute overtime period, while the Blue Hens had three shots but could not score. However, it took just 1:18 into the second extra period for UD to score the game-winner, as Jessica Breault tipped in a blast by teammate Erica LaBar.

The Tribe was outshot by UD, 11-6, in the game, as W&M took just one shot after halftime. Delaware also held a 6-3 advantage in penalty corners. Senior Stacey Gaenzle (Lancaster, PA) was outstanding in goal for the Tribe, making seven saves in the contest, including a number of sprawling, game-saving plays in the second half and overtime. Megan Allen had two stops for the Blue Hens.

Delaware advances to tomorrow’s CAA championship game against Old Dominion at 1:00 PM. The Tribe must now wait until Tuesday, November 11 to learn if the team is awarded an at-large berth to the 16-team NCAA Tournament.

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