Lady Warriors Win First Playoff Game
Wingerden, Peacock Lead Way to Semis, Rematch with Drew
Box Score

WILLIAMSPORT , Pa. --- Could the news have been any better on Tuesday?  On the same day the Lady Warriors learned they had the top coach and number one freshman in the conference donning blue and gold, Lycoming women’s lacrosse made good on its first appearance into the Middle Atlantic Conference playoffs with a 12-7 triumph over Elizabethtown College in front of its own hometown fans.

The victory advances Lycoming into the MAC semi-finals and what will prove to be a heated rematch with Drew University .  The Rangers, seeded second in the tournament, earned a bye through the first round thanks to an 8-1 conference mark.

Freshman Sarah Wingerden (Macedon, N.Y./Palmyra-Macedon) lived up to her league top rookie honor against Elizabethtown with six goals and an assist to lead a potent Lycoming attack.  When the Lady Warriors’ offense wasn’t converting shots, sophomore goalkeeper Kristina Peacock (Webster, N.Y./Webster-Thomas) was denying them.  In a two-minute span with about 25 minutes to play in the second half, Peacock stopped four solid Blue Jay scoring chances that garnered “Stonewall Peacock” chants from an excitedly supportive Lycoming crowd.

Wingerden got the ball rolling on a free-position goal with only 59 seconds missing from the scoreboard clock.  Etown quickly tied the score, but the Blue Jay tally ignited a three-goal run to give the Lady Warriors a 4-1 edge with 23:36 on the first half timer.  Sophomore Megan Wallenhorst ( Rochester , N.Y./Irondequoit) and freshman Kelly Mack (New Egypt , N.J./New Egypt ) sandwiched Wingerden’s second goal to account for the margin.

Etown responded with a triple-feat of its own, picking up goals from three different players including one of only two assisted goals between the two squads.

A shade less than 10 minutes disappeared from the clock before Lycoming broke the deadlock thanks to Mack’s second score of the game off a feed from Wingerden.  Sophomore Heather Suit ( Annapolis , Md. /Broadneck) added the third Lady Warrior free-position goal of the half just 47 seconds later to open up a two-goal advantage.  Etown added more tally at the 4:23 mark to send both teams to the intermission with Lycoming ahead 6-5.

Wingerden came out gunning in the second half, dropping in a pair of unassisted efforts to open up the Lady Warriors’ second three-goal margin at 8-5 with 23:29 to play.

Peacock kept the Blue Jays attack at bay with a handful of impressive stops over the first eight minutes of the latter frame.  Etown finally broke through with 21:37 to play, but needed a second chance effort to beat the Lady Warrior net minder after she had found the previous shot wanting.

After Etown snuck another goal into Lycoming’s net, the Lady Warriors closed the match on a four goal run over the final 13:10.  Wingerden and Suit went back and forth, scoring the final four goals one after the other with Suit capping the match with Lycoming’s fourth free-position score at the 4:13 mark.

Lycoming’s defense was just as impressive as the offense.  The blue and gold back line held Katie Foley (39 goals) and Katie DiRico (38 goals) to one score apiece.  The Lady Warriors did an excellent job of forcing their opponents to secondary options and crashing on the goal area when a Blue Jay tried to infiltrate the arc.

It will take another all-around effort for the Lady Warriors to get past Drew on Thursday.  The squads squared off only 10 days ago with the Rangers escaping the Shangraw Athletic Complex with a 12-11 win thanks to a pair of last second goals.  Wingerden and Wallenhorst combined for seven goals against Drew, but the Rangers’ combo of Kaity Ryan and Courtney Cunningham trumped Lycoming’s duo with nine goals and six assists between the two.

Game time is set for 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 4.  The winner will move on to Saturday’s championship game against either #1 Messiah College or #4 the University of Scranton .  That contest will be played at the higher seed’s venue.