Womens Lacrosse

Cards End 2010 with Win vs. Conn. as Allie Lynch '11 Sets Assist Marks - Jess Chukwu '11 All-NESCAC

Allie Lynch '11 (#10, left side photo) tied a Wesleyan school record for assists in a game with eight in leading Wesleyan to its ninth consecutive victory over Conn. College with a 17-13 home triumph Fri., April 30. It proved to be the final game of the season for both teams as the Cardinals denied the Camels a chance of qualifying for the NESCAC tournament as the eighth seed. Wesleyan had already been eliminated from post-season consideration but Conn. College still had a chance of making the field with a win and a loss by Bates against Colby on Friday. As it turned out, Bates upset Colby and secured the eighth and final spot on its own.

Wesleyan opened the second half with a 4-0 run to pull out to a 13-9 edge as the teams were tied 9-9 at halftime. Lynch assisted on three of the four Cardinal goals to open the second period as Sarah Hoefle '10, Lydia Kring '13 and Erin McCarthy '10 were all the beneficiaries of Lynch passes while Jess Chukwu '11 (#23, right side photo) also scored. Wesleyan never let the margin drop below three over the final 21:32 of the contest and held as much as a five-goal cushion (15-10) with 16:36 remaining on a free-position tally by Eileen Gaffney '12.

With her eight helpers, Lynch improved her team-leading scoring to 50 points, becoming just the third player in Wesleyan history to crack the 50-point plateau in a season. She had six goals and a school-record 44 assists as she leads the NESCAC in assists this season as well. She came into the contest ranked 11th nationally in assists per game. She also holds the Wesleyan standard for career assists with 70, surpassing the previous mark of 59. Now with 37 goals to go with her 70 assists, Lynch becomes the 11th Wesleyan player to eclipse the 100-point plateau for a career as she hold the #9 spot on the career scoring list with 107.

The Camels held a two-goal lead during the first half as they erased an early 3-1 deficit with a four-goal run to make it 5-3 with 19:12 to go in the frame. Wesleyan eventually tied the game at 6-6 with 14:21 left in the period and neither team led by more than a goal before the halftime deadlock.

Chukwu was one of three Cardinals to post a hat trick in the contest as she paced Wesleyan with 31 goals on the year. She was voted second-team all-NESCAC following a vote of the conference coaches. Chukwu was a first-team all-star on the IWLCA Berkshire Region squad. Also with a hat trick was Gaffney and Averill Roberto '13. Hoefle finished the game with two goals and an assist for a three-point afternoon. Chukwu has elevated her career goal-scoring figure to 81 with 24 or more in each of her three seasons. She will look to become just the fourth Cardinal ever to net 100 career goals when the 2011 campaign rolls around.

In the Wesleyan net, keeper Maggie Drowica '12 tied her career high by making 18 saves, a figure she has produced twice in the past, most recently vs. Colby April 10.

The Cardinals ended the year with a 4-10 overall mark as all eight of their NESCAC losses came against teams ranked among the top-25 nationally.

(photos by ChiaraBest.com)