Boss Notches Pair of Late Goals to Seal Women's Lacrosse's 3rd Straight MEC Tournament TItle

FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Women's Lacrosse team earned a hard-fought 13-11 comeback victory over Dominican (CA) to secure their third consecutive Mountain East Conference Tournament title.
 
After the Penguins secured the opening draw, they forced senior Grace Dickey into an early save before a Bobcat giveaway allowed the visitors another chance, which they didn't waste on a Kyra Evans free position score just over a minute in. Dominican continued to have a hold of possession, with Dickey making another pair of saves before FSU finally got their chance on the offensive end. Junior Neila Haney had two good chances on free positions but sent one high and saw another saved by opposing goalkeeper Natalie Oyler.
 
Evans came back down the field to continue her dominance of Frostburg early on, netting back-to-back goals a minute and a half apart for a shock 3-0 lead at the halfway point of the quarter. The Bobcats ended the early run from there, as graduate Camden DeMaio got the next draw control, with the offense swiftly passing from senior Julia Badolato into junior Daniella Boss to finish past Oyler and get FSU on the board. Dickey made another save as it seemed momentum had shifted, however a Frostburg turnover allowed the Penguins to get back to their three-goal advantage at 4-1.
 
The next two minutes were controlled by the Bobcats, not allowing Dominican a chance at a possession as Haney and Boss nabbed DC's, with Badolato feeding junior Emily Lamoreaux and Haney converting on her third free position attempt to suddenly pull within 4-3. The Penguins were able to get a goal back with just over a minute left, however sophomore Maya Mosslih came up with a huge caused turnover and groundball, paving the way for Haney to dish to Badolato for a tidy finish and a 5-4 score after one.
 
Both sides had turnovers to start the second frame, with junior Izzy Kelly winning possession for FSU, as Haney again found herself with space in front of net following an assist by senior Kerri Hayes to tie things at five apiece. A yellow card and Dominican timeout allowed them to re-take the lead being a player up, as the next five minutes turned into a trade of the ball back-and-forth. A total of six turnovers kept each side off the board, with junior Jessie Bare and senior Delaney Devers coming up with important CT's for Frostburg, with DeMaio finally breaking the scoring drought on a solo score with five and a half minutes until the half.
 
Just over a minute later, the Bobcats were shown back-to-back cards and forced to play down two players, but Dickey stood tall in net, making fantastic back-to-back saves to maintain the tie score. After fending off the Penguins' attack, sophomore Abbey Warner floated a pass that was deflected into Badolato's stick, turning and firing home for FSU's first lead of the day at 7-6. It seemed as though Frostburg had stolen the momentum going into halftime, however in the final 30 seconds, Evans and Morgan Newkirk netted quick-fire goals for Dominican to stun the home crowd with an 8-7 halftime lead.
 
 The visitors' late swing continued into the third period, as Newkirk forced a Bobcat turnover and scored herself to double their advantage at 9-7. DeMaio then got the resulting DC which set Badolato up for a free position score to stay within one. After Dickey caused a Dominican turnover, Oyler made a save on Hayes, allowing Brooke Vafi to find Siena Fairbanks on a goal from the right wing. FSU kept pushing on despite the deficit, as DeMaio got another draw, while Badolato picked up a groundball off a wide shot and quickly passed to Haney in front to stay in touching distance.
 
Each team traded turnovers before senior Nicole Gray took over in net and made her first save with seven minutes to go, setting up a Lamoreaux-to-Badolato finish and a 10-10 tie. Both goalkeepers were forced into action over a five-minute stretch, combining for three saves before a Bobcat yellow card gave the Penguins a great chance to regain the lead. Senior Megan Keller thwarted any hopes of a Dominican goal with a caused turnover, then after FSU put a shot wide, freshman Kamryn Lee then kept the visitors at bay with another CT. At the other end, DeMaio passed to Lamoreaux to swing momentum back to Frostburg with an 11-10 lead heading to the final frame.
 
It took just 90 seconds for the Penguins to respond in the fourth, as Julianne Lane gave Gray no hope with a behind-the-back finish on a feed from Newkirk to tie once more at 11-11. Haney grabbed the next draw and forced Oyler into a save, while Gray followed with one of her own on a free position. After going down a player once more following a card, Devers secured an important possession back to the Bobcats with a caused turnover and groundball, leading to Haney finding Boss for a score despite the disadvantage and a 12-11 lead.
 
Gray and Oyler stood firm on back-to-back shots before the former shut down the Penguins once more. As time ticked away, Frostburg rode their luck over a two-minute stretch, as Dominican hit the post three times off one free position chance before Lee finally came away from the scramble with a groundball and a clear. Inside the final five minutes and seeking an insurance goal, Boss was able to provide, being found by Haney for a two-goal cushion at 13-11. Lamoreaux came up with a CT to take more time off the clock, while Gray made her final save with just under two minutes to go, as the Bobcats ran out the rest of play in their offensive zone before the final buzzer sounded.
 
Badolato led all scorers with seven points on four goals and three assists, while Boss and Haney each also notched hat tricks, the latter tacking on a trio of assists. Devers and Keller led the defensive effort with four combined caused turnovers and three groundballs, while Dickey and Gray combined for 12 saves in net.
 
With the win, Frostburg improves to 13-6 while Dominican ends their campaign at 12-2. FSU has secured an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, where they will learn their opponent and location to be played during the Selection Show on Sunday, May 4 at 8:30 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.
 
The Mountain East Conference also announced its All-Tournament team at the conclusion of the contest, which is listed below.

Davis & Elkins … Ari Hinton
Wheeling … Sophia Cirone
Charleston … Alyse Weber 
Charleston … Madison Partridge
Dominican … Olivia "OJ" Johnson
Dominican … Kyra Evans
Frostburg State … Julia Badalato
Frostburg State … Neila Haney
Frostburg State… Daniella Boss – Tournament MVP