ROCHESTER, N.Y. –Molloy withstood a late charge by the Roberts Wesleyan University women's lacrosse team to edge the Redhawks,16-15 ,in an East Coast Conference semifinal on the Redhawks Turf Field Wednesday evening.
Sophomore
Alison Dioguardi converted a beautiful feed from
Emma Blumenstock to tie the game at 14 for the second-seeded Redhawks with 13:13 remaining in the fourth quarter but the third-seeded Lions scored the next two goals and fended off Roberts in the final minutes to earn the victory.
Blumenstock scored an unassisted goal with 3:08 to play and the Roberts defense came up with a key stop to give the Redhawks a chance in the final minute.
Roberts (7-8) had a good look, but Molloy came away with the final possession and was able to run out the clock and earn a date with top-seeded Mercy in Saturday's championship game. Mercy defeated Daemen 21-2 in the other semifinal.
Blumenstock finished with five goals and two assists in her final game as a Redhawk. She finished the season with 101 points on 48 goals and 51 assists and will graduate as the No. 2 scorer in program history with 275 career points.
Dioguardi finished with three goals, two assists and five draw controls while
Kadie Tierney contributed three goals and an assist and
Annie Mulhall added three goals.
Ella Dossier added a goal and two assists.
Freshman
Lia MacDougall had six draw controls and senior
Shawna Lesmerises made seven saves.
Brenna Signorelli led Molloy (9-8) with five goals.
"I am proud of their effort and their preparation all season long," Roberts coach
Kristin Paolini said of her team. "They put in the time to prepare by watching film and studying the scout and that allowed them to perform in big games like this all season long."