Virginia Tech Shuts Down Tribe in Second Half For 11-7 Win

Sellers Scores Three For Tribe

02/27/08 5:45PM

Blacksburg, Va. - Virginia Tech goaltender Kari Morrison recorded a career-high 19 saves, and Allie Emala scored three goals to lead the Hokies past William and Mary, 11-7, Wednesday afternoon in collegiate women’s lacrosse action in Blacksburg.

Rachel Culp, Kate Tracey and Kady McBrearty all scored two goals for Tech (1-3), which snapped a three-game losing streak and won its first game in the series.

Jaime Sellers (Kennebunk, Maine) extended her scoring streak to 20 games with three goals to lead W&M (2-2), which dropped its second straight. Emily Geary (Wayne, Pa.) recorded 10 saves in goal for the Tribe.

Both teams battled frigid temperatures, blustery winds and intermittent snow showers in just the second meeting between the state schools. W&M and Tech had last met in 2002 with the Tribe winning in Williamsburg.

The conditions certainly factored in, particularly early as the teams combined for five turnovers in the first three minutes.

The Hokies finally broke through first on Emala’s put-back attempt 5:25 into the game. Geary denied Emala’s initial shot, but the rebound bounced directly back to the Hokies’ attacker who scooped and scored to put the home team on the board.

W&M wasted little time in answering, as Sellers found the net for the time unassisted just over a minute later with a strong move up the middle.

It looked like a shoot out was beginning to unfold only moments later, when McBrearty put on a nifty spin move to the left of the goal and scored high only 30 seconds after Sellers’ marker. The Tribe kept the back-and-forth action going on its next possession, when Maggie Anderson (Richmond, Va.) got on the board. Anderson had two shots turned away by Morrison, but the Tribe’s rookie attacker persisted with the rebound and eventually beat Morrison to knot the game at 2-2 with 21:24 remaining in the first.

But from there, the Hokies used a collective quick step on the draw to gain critical possessions and used a quick 4-0 scoring run to build a 6-2 lead. After Anderson tied the game, the Hokies responded with four consecutive draw wins to spur the four-goal run.

Joanna Kiser’s draw control led to Emala’s second goal which made it 3-2, then Emala grabbed the ensuing draw to set up Caitlyn Weir’s goal just 11 seconds later and give the Hokies a 4-2 advantage. Culp was on the spot to win the next restart and netted the Hokies’ fifth goal moments later on an assist by McBreaty. Following a Tribe time out, Emala picked up another draw, and the Hokies would extend the lead to 6-2 on a free-position goal by Tracey with 18:14 left before break.

That was it for the Hokies in the first half though behind the outstanding play of Geary, and the Tribe would eventually claw its way back into the contest with a quick scoring spurt of its own and tenacious defense. Geary tallied six of her eight first-half saves in the final 13 minutes, and Ashley Holofcener (Reisterstown, Md.) recorded two of her three caused turnovers to keep Virginia Tech scoreless over the final 18 minutes of the first half.

Holofcener cut the Tribe’s deficit to 6-3 on an assist from Mary Zulty (Jarrettsville, Md.) at the 17:44 mark. After Grace Golden (Manhasset, N.Y.) grabbed the next draw, Sellers scored her second only 40 seconds later to pull the Tribe within 6-4.

W&M’s attack continued to warm up in the brutal conditions and manufactured a nearly three-minute, controlled possession that eventually trimmed the deficit to a single goal. The Tribe’s patience on offense was eventually rewarded with an eight-meter attempt for Katie Rees (Catonsville, Md.). Though Rees had a clear line to goal from the left side, she alertly passed to a wide-open Golden just off the right side of the crease on the re-start. Golden fired the Tribe’s fifth goal into the back of the net in nearly one motion, and W&M trailed 6-5 with 13:48 remaining in the first.

Down the stretch though, the two goaltenders dueled to a standstill and the Hokies eventually took the one-goal lead into the break. Holofcener gained control of the draw following Golden’s goal, but the possession ended with a Morrision save. Geary returned the favor at the other end with two stops on the Hokies next possession, and the rookie net minder kept it a one goal game with another save after the Tribe turned it over trying to clear the zone.

Morrison stopped a try by Anderson in the final two minutes of the first, but Holofcener caused another turnover to keep possession for the Tribe. W&M was eventually awarded another free-position attempt in the final three seconds, but the Tribe was unable to get a shot off before the horn sounded.

Morrison set the tone early in the second half for Tech as well, turning aside another Anderson shot in the opening minute. Unfortunately, it was a sign of things to come, as the Tribe attack never found a rhythm in the second, and when it did manage shots on goal, Morrison was there.

Feeding off turnovers and the play of Morrison, the Hokies pulled away by scoring the first five goals of the period. McBrearty scored unassisted 2:36 in, before a Tribe turnover led to Emala’s third goal in transition and an 8-4 score less than a minute later.

Tech’s good fortune continued on the Tribe’s next possession when Rees’ scoring attempt, following a solid spin move along the right side of the crease, glanced off the right post and out of play.

A Tribe turnover in the attack zone led to Tracey’s second goal, and the Hokies’ advantage reached 10-5 on a goal by Kristy Zeigler with 18:37 remaining. Culp capped the run with her second, and Tech had a comfortable 11-5 lead with 16:53 to play.

The Tribe didn’t go without a fight though, and Sellers finally broke though in the second with a strong individual move to goal down the middle once again. The senior bounced a low shot into the back of the net with 11:22 remaining, and W&M put more pressure on when Rees snagged the ensuing draw, raced untouched to the goal and scored 11 seconds after Sellers to cut the deficit to 11-7.

That was as close as the Tribe would get though, as Morrison and the Tech defense put the clamps on the rest of the way. Morrison stopped a shot by Julia Martin (Woodside, Calif.), and an eight-meter shot by Golden was deflected in traffic before it even reached the crease. Another eight-meter shot by Martin bounced wide left, and Morrison fittingly put the final touches on a strong performance by turning aside a final eight-meter shot by Golden in the closing minute.

W&M will play the second of three consecutive road games on Sunday, traveling to Richmond for a 2 p.m. start.

Box Score