May 4, 2007
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Top-seed and host Hofstra University scored the game-winning with just eight seconds remaining in regulation to take a 10-9 victory over fourth-seeded Old Dominion in the 2007 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Women's Lacrosse Tournament semifinals. The Pride overcame a three-goal deficit and scored the game's final four goals to advance.
The Lady Monarchs end the 2007 season with a 7-8 overall record after making their first tournament appearance since 2003.
Junior midfielder Kelly Kimener (Oakton, Va.) led Old Dominion with three goals for her third hat trick and 11th of her career.
The Pride struck first with Kim Hillier finding the back of the Lady Monarch net with 25:34 in the first, but Old Dominion immediately struck back. Kimener collected the draw and raced down field to tied the game at 1-1 a mere 25 seconds later.
The Lady Monarchs followed by collecting the draw and scoring. Senior midfielder Katie Veneziale gave the Lady Monarchs its first lead of the game off a free position attempt with 20:08 left in the first half.
Hofstra proceeded to collect three unanswered goals taking a 3-2 lead as 13:20 remained in the opening half. The Pride scored two of those goals in a span of 25 seconds to reclaim the lead.
Veneziale collected her second goal of the afternoon moments later cutting the ODU deficit to one. The Lady Monarch trailed 4-3 with 12:06 left in the half.. The assist, which came from Caroline Jacobs (Gaithersburg, Md.), moved the fourth-year Lady Monarchs into fourth place on the all-time points leaders list with former Lady Monarch and ironically current Hofstra assistant Coach Danielle (Hensil) Piercy.
Senior Ashley Stanwick (Aquasco, Md.) tied the game up at 4-4 at the 7:19 mark as Kimener fed her the ball from behind the Pride pipes.
Kimener returned the lead to Old Dominion with 3:18 remaining in the first half. Pride netminder Maisie Osteen came out of net to cause a Lady Monarch turnover but as the ODU attack swarmed on defense, Osteen stepped out of bounds giving control of the ball over to the Lady Monarchs. Kimener was awarded the ball and raced to the net beating out Osteen to give Old Dominion the 5-4 edge.
Kimener then gave the Lady Monarchs a two-goal cushion heading into the half. With just 12 seconds left in the first half she posted her third hat trick of the season and 11th of her career.
Old Dominion and Hofsta would trade the first six goals of the second half. It took the Lady Monarchs just two minutes and 14 seconds to strike in second half action. Sophomore Jessica Noone (Manassas, Va.) advancing the Lady Monarch lead to 7-4.
From there goals went back and forth with Noone scoring her second of the evening at the 15:41 mark giving Old Dominion a 9-6 edge.
Following Noone's goal it would be over 10 minutes before another goal. However, it would come from the stick of Hofstra's Casey McGrath with 5:17 left, who started the 4-0 run to spark the Pride comeback.
After McGrath's goal, Hofstra's Lauren Whitcomb scored nearly 40 seconds later to close the game to within one and then Beck Thorn, on a spin move in front of the Lady Monarch net, tied the game 20 seconds after that. With only eight seconds left in the game, the Pride's Corrine Gandolfi put away the game-winner.
Junior goalkeeper Sara Larson (Sylvan Lake, Mich.) made eight saves in goal while Osteen finished the evening stopping 11 Lady Monarch shots on net.
Hofsta edged out Old Dominion in draw controls, 11-10, while the Lady Monarchs held an 11-10 advantage in groundballs. Senior Kristen Truax (Daleville, Va.) led the Lady Monarchs with three draw controls while Noone, Kimener, and junior Kaelyn Schival (Horsham, Pa.) each recorded two groundballs apiece.