PITTSBURGH – George Mason's trip to the Atlantic 10 Conference Women's Lacrosse Championship ended in abrupt fashion on Friday.
No. 6 seed Richmond scored the game's final four goals to come from behind and hand No. 2 seed Patriots a 12-10 loss in the semifinals at Rooney Field. Mason, playing in just its second A-10 tournament in its third year in the conference, finished the season with a school-record tying 12 wins.
“I think we are still the new kids on the block in the A-10 and our youth caught up with us today,” second-year head coach Jessy Morgan said. “We didn't execute and just never got our feet under us. Richmond played a great game and our hats go off to them for defusing our attack and coming up with big plays during critical moments in the game.”
In a back-and-forth game that featured three lead changes and four ties, the Patriots took a two-goal lead with 14:41 left. Goals from Alexa McGovern and Jordan Sdanowich unknotted a tie and pushed Mason in front, 10-8. But that would be the end of the scoring for the Patriots (12-5).
Richmond scored a pair of goals in a span of 32 seconds to tie the game back up with 13:15 remaining. The Spiders (9-9), playing their second game in as many days, then jumped in front for good on a free position attempt by Kim Egizi with 8:22 to go. After a save by Elizabeth Benedetto, Mason had a chance to tie the game with about six minutes remaining. But the Patriots never got a shot off, turning the ball over around midfield. That led directly to a breakaway for Natalia Chaney, who scored her third goal of the game for a 12-10 lead with 5:52 left.
Richmond won the ensuing draw control and ran the last five-plus minutes out to advance to the championship game on Sunday. The Spiders avenged a 9-8 regular-season loss to Mason in Richmond on April 3.
The Patriots, who had won three straight and received a first-round bye as one of the top two seeds, jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Chachi Kelehan, Hannah Warpinski, Brooke Lorber and Jacquelyn Spalding accounted for the game's first four goals before the 12:05 mark of the first half.
The Spiders, who have won four in a row, clawed back and pulled within two goals three times in the first half. Mason appeared to take momentum back when Kelehan scored with 51 seconds left for a 6-3 lead. But Richmond won the ensuing draw control and Brooke Wilson scored one her game-high three goals with just four seconds before halftime.
The momentum carried over for the Spiders as they scored the first three goals of the second half to take their first lead of the game, 7-6, with 21:59 left. Mason regrouped, with Spalding and McGovern netting goals in a two-minute span to retake the lead.
Richmond, however, answered a minute later to tie the game at 8-8 with 17:20 left. The Patriots responded with the goals by McGovern and Sdanowich but it wouldn't be enough firepower to stave off another Spiders comeback.
Kelehan, McGovern, Sdanowich and Spalding each scored twice and Lorber and Warpinski added goals. McGovern and Spalding also had assists. The Patriots had just 15 shots and turned the ball over 16 times. Many came in transition as they converted just 10 of 16 clear attempts. Richmond also doubled them up on draw controls, 16-8.
Benedetto kept the Patriots in the game with 11 saves, including six in the second half.The freshman finishes the season with a 9-3 record. Her 7.84 goals against average (93 goals allowed in 711 minutes) is also the lowest percentage in a single season in program history.
McGovern, a junior and Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team selection, finished her season with 41 goals. It ranks as the eight-most in a season and the most by a Patriot since 2008.
